Vic/Tas Fishing Monthly March 2018

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Boating & kayaking Introduction to SUP fishing • Centre console boats guide •

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MARCH 2018, Vol. 13 No. 5

Contents WEST COAST West Coast

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16

20

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Portland 17 Warrnambool 17 Apollo Bay

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Cobden 18

CENTRAL Geelong 20 Port Phillip West

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Port Phillip North East

24

Port Phillip East

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Mornington Peninsula

28

Western Port North

30

Western Port South

31

Phillip Island

34

EAST COAST Lakes Entrance

36

Marlo 36 Gippsland Lakes

38

McLoughlins Beach

38

Bemm River

39

NSW SOUTH COAST Eden 42 Mallacoota 42 Bermagui 43 Merimbula 44 Narooma 45

VICTORIAN FRESHWATER Horsham 62 Robinvale 63

From the Editor’s Desk...

JAPAN - DOING TACKLE SHOWS RIGHT I hadn’t been to a Japanese tackle show in years. The last time was in the ‘90s with Quintrex Boats International’s Marketing Manager, Andrew Hill, as he opened a few doors for me to get an insight into a market that Australia was exporting around 2000 boats a year into.

At that time, there were tens of thousands of uberkeen anglers, sampling all of the delights of the latest rods, reels, lures and baits.

Fans lined up for hours to get autographs from their favourite fishing stars like Jim Murata (Japan’s Mister Shimano) and Norio Tanabe (the first Japanese angler to win a US BASS event, and the creator of the Nories brand).

Show-goers paid money for the latest catalogues to get signed, and each stand had hands-on engagement with the fishing public.

And you know what?

Nothing has changed.

After a few days at the Yokohama Fishing Show in January, the numbers may be down a little from the ‘90s, but the enthusiasm remains the same, both from manufacturers and the attendees.

So what’s it look like?

The best way is to watch the video on the Fishing Monthly YouTube channel or the www. tacklejunkie.fish Facebook page. In a nutshell, if you take the Brisbane, Rose Hill or Melbourne Boat Show and swap out the boats for tackle stands, that’s what the show is like. It’s a tackle junkie’s dream fix, and it would have been even more exciting if I could understand more than a little Japanese.

The most amazing part of it, however, was that it was a no-purchase show. Apart from some merchandise and clothing under a certain price limit, all of the major companies were simply showing their new

products, letting the customers interact with it and making their famous pro-staff available to the fans.

And it wasn’t just die-hard anglers that had fun; there were also activities for families. There were thousands of rainbow trout in a pool that were eminently catchable, and available for the kids, and they loved it.

Why haven’t we got a tackle show like this in Australia? Plenty of people ask this question every year. Boat Shows ‘don’t have enough tackle’ and fishing shows don’t have the manufacturer support to get off the ground. Plenty

of show organisers have tried and failed.

I’m a pretty vocal supporter of the industry getting behind a show that will excite the angling public. Is it happening yet? Not from the top down. At the moment, the vibrant Lure Show in Ipswich, Queensland each winter, is the closest we have – even if it’s a distant second to tens of thousands of tsuri-baka (fishing crazy) Japanese.

But we do have ideas and a passion for the sport, and you’ll be the first to know when we make some inroads into making it happen.

Yarrawonga 63 Jindabyne 64 Wangaratta 65 Shepparton 66 Ballarat 67 Eildon 68 Eildon Rivers

68

Bonnie Doon

69

Bendigo 70

BOATING AND KAYAK

83

REGULAR FEATURES Back to Basics

14

Chappy’s Hotspot

41

Dam Levels

62

Fun Page

82

Inland Fisheries Service

51

Science meets fishing

12

Spearfishing 50 Tasmanian Lake Levels Tech Tricks

55 100

Tournament News

73

Trade and Services Guide

80

Victorian Tide Times

98

What’s new fishing

46

What’s new boating

86

SPECIAL FEATURES

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MARCH 2018

Field Editor: Kelly Hunt

Website: www.fishingmonthly.com.au

Simon Rinaldi with a true ‘barrel’ SBT from Portland.

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Sub-Editors: Bob Thornton Nicole Penfold Cordelia Adams

Production: Karen Millward Jenna Milburn Keith Hawley

OUR COVER

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Easter scones in the camp oven

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Topwater Murray cod guide

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Portland tuna set to explode

VICTORIA FISHING MONTHLY

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TASMANIA WRAP

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Southern Bluefin Tuna

Portland tuna are set to explode WESTERN PORT STH

Jarrod Day jarrodday@iprimus.com.au

Tuna stocks in South West Victoria have soared over the past 7 or 8 years; so much so that they are a viable target year-round.

Even this summer, a school of sizeable tuna showed up in the Port Phillip Heads, so it’s fair to say that our southern coastline is set to explode with southern bluefin.

While there are months when they are fewer in numbers and more challenging to locate, they are still a possibility if you’re willing to put in the time on the water.

A typical tuna season tends to begin around February for Victorian anglers and runs though until the June to July period when the Southern Ocean decides it’s time to show anglers what it’s made of with huge ocean swells and freezing conditions. Still, there are days when all is calm and if you want to head out in search, the tuna will be more than willing to eat your lure spread.

The heart of tuna season is March, April and May. During this time the boat ramps at Warrnambool, Port Fairy, Portland and Port MacDonnell become increasingly busy. Due to this increase in numbers, it’s common for southern

bluefin to be caught as far east as Wilsons Prom and Phillip Island in Bass Strait, as well as out from

the Port Phillip Bay Heads.

I have no doubt that this season will be unlike any other and as long as you’re

You don’t always have to travel too far to find tuna. Under the lighthouse is a wellknown location to find tuna in numbers.

While it is nice to go ‘barrel hunting,’ school fish are a lot of fun to practice your techniques on.

When choosing your lure spread, it pays to speak with other tuna anglers and find out what’s working on a particular day.

This Tornado lure has accounted for many tuna and continues to prove its worth.

rigged and ready, catching tuna with a bunch of mates is certainly a lot of fun.

BE PREPARED Fishing out in the ocean – more importantly, the Southern Ocean – for bluefin tuna is not just about having all the big flashy gold reels, expensive rods and tonnes of lures – it’s about safety. While it is a good idea to be set up right to catch them, the priority should be checking over and making sure your boat and everything required for being safe on the water is in check.

Over the past few years quite a number of boats have had some misfortune at sea. With ocean swells and weather conditions that can change rather quickly, making sure everything is in excellent working order before departure is paramount.

Checking over your safety gear regularly can quickly open your eyes up to issues. You’ll find out of date flares, rusty radio antennas, flat torch batteries, life jackets/vests that require servicing and more. Of course, this leads to further checking over your boat trailer. Although all this safety gear does require checking, having your boat serviced is also vital, as the last thing you’d need is to break down 60km from the boat ramp and have to be towed in, which can take hours and be unsafe for all on board while waiting for the coast guard to turn up.

THE WEATHER The Southern Ocean can be very mean and nasty at times and, without prior knowledge of the area, can get you into strife no matter how experienced you are.

RINCON

Like the California point break it was named for, the Rincon has a classic West Coast straight bridge, wrapping style lines and edgy curved temples.

GREEN MIRROR: Enhanced vision and contrast for fishing inshore and on flats.

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8

MARCH 2018

OPTIMAL USE: • Sight fishing in full sun • High contrast

It always pays to fish multiple rods to maximise your chances of success.

Southern Bluefin Tuna

It’s not just southern bluefin that are around, there are some monster albacore as well.

We all use many apps on our mobile devices these days to check the weather prior to heading out and apps often contradict each other, so don’t just rely on the one. In fact, you really should have a few on your smart phone so you can look at each and make the safest decision on whether to head out or not. While there are countless weather apps available, switching between WillyWeather, Seabreeze, Windfinder and Weatherzone should give you enough information to make the right decision.

The Tornado lures are a proven tuna killer.

WHAT TO EXPECT Tuna don’t really live by any rules; in fact they just make up their own, and they can show up anywhere along the coast and at any time. However, tuna are still predictable and from February to July they are in abundance throughout the West Coast.

For almost a decade, southern bluefin tuna have been a highly soughtafter species for Victorian recreational anglers and over the past few years angler numbers have slowly declined in targeting them.

In saying that, with sporadic schools of tuna over 100kg turning up, those who have cut their teeth chasing fish in the 10-25kg bracket wait until the barrels show up and then head down for one or two days to try their luck at a monster – some are successful and others aren’t.

It’s a lot of fun to tangle with a beast and so is honing your skills on the smaller models. Throughout the three prime months, schools of fish move into different depths of water with a lot of fish closer in to shore.

This allows anglers with smaller craft easy access in the right conditions to catch their quarry without needing to head out into the deep blue.

When gearing up, don’t go too light. Big tuna are about with the small ones and you don’t want to be under-gunned.

March, April and May are great times to be working in close, especially around Lawrence Rock and just beyond in an easterly and southerly direction out to

50m. Even then, a popular location to find schools of fish is in close around Cape Bridgewater. Often schools of fish round up bait just To page 10

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Southern Bluefin Tuna From page 9

in under the lighthouse, allowing anglers to work the area and pick up a good catch of fish. Keep in mind that just because you’re targeting school fish, doesn’t mean there aren’t fish of over 100kg about – always prepare your tackle for the just-in-case scenario.

It’s always nice to lighten your tackle to 15kg to chase fish in the 10-25kg bracket, but it’s common to hook into much larger fish and on 15kg, you could be under-gunned. In an ideal world fishing 24kg is a safe bet, however if you still hook into a barrel, you’ll really have a battle on your hands but you can’t have the best of both worlds, so you just have to suck it up and be happy to fish light. Have fun knowing that you could lose a big fish or fish a bit heavier, have a mediocre fight on smaller fish and be thankful if a barrel comes along.

THE LURE SPREAD One of the biggest conundrums about targeting tuna is having the right lure spread. At the end of the

The Richters lure in 502/506 colour is deadly; it always pays to put one out in the shotgun. day, each and every angler has their own set spread that changes slightly throughout the day. Each angler will tell you something different, which can make

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MARCH 2018

things extremely difficult, especially if you’re a newcomer to the sport.

Of course, I agree that there are certain lures that continually catch barrels and there are others that catch school fish, so it pays to have a small selection of each.

A typical proven lure spread should consist of a mixture of hardbody lures, vibes and skirts. This allows

you to work different depths with different lures to find what works best and where different lures should be set. Have a variety of sizes out as well as the most popular colours to use on southern bluefin.

My spread isn’t a set tuna spread but is extremely effective and can be altered, as different lures will work better at different positions. Use it as a guide, constantly watch your lures and change them how you see fit when on the water.

After finding a patch a tuna you might find that they prefer one particular colour. If this is the case and you have more similar colours in your kit, pull in one or two of the others and change them. Set them back into the exact position they once were. This can aid in getting multiple hook-ups rather than just the odd one or two.

The season is now upon us and no doubt many anglers have already been out searching for that adrenalin-packed, line screaming run. If you haven’t, you don’t know what you’re missing out on. The season is a long one, so take your time, check your safety gear and fishing gear and enjoy what the Southern Ocean has to offer.

Nothing can beat a redbait colour lure in the Southern Ocean.

Science meets fishing

Keep RFL focus on rec fishers and quality fishing GEELONG

Ross Winstanley

The Victorian Government is investing heavily to achieve its target of one million adult recreational fishers by 2020. What’s wrong with that?

What’s wrong is that the Government knows this goes against the best interests of those who are already fishing. Instead, it’s using recreational fishing to meet its own economic development objectives.

We know this because Government documents tell us so.

Two of Victoria’s recreational fisheries programs, the Recreational Fishing Licence (RFL) Grants Program and the Target One Million (T1M) policy initiative, are delivering some great results for our recreational fishers. Most of the T1M projects, including some funded from the RFL, are directly benefiting today’s fishers while serving its overall aim of boosting the State’s economy.

However, while they have so much in common, Victoria’s two major recreational fisheries programs have seriously conflicting objectives.

FUNDING THE RECREATIONAL FISHERIES PROGRAM More money than ever is being spent on recreational fisheries in Victoria and fishers are certainly seeing the benefits. There are three main funding sources for Victoria’s overall program: • annual ‘appropriations’ as part of the State’s budget allocation to the Victorian Fisheries Authority (VFA) to fund essential administration, management, policy, compliance and research • RFL Trust Fund investments aimed at benefiting recreational fishers, reflecting priorities set by RFL-holders and other present-day fishers • recreational fishing ‘initiatives’ set by incoming Victorian governments for the duration of their term of office, focussed on their political objectives.

So far, so good. It’s when expenditures and funding objectives get shifted between funding streams that fishers can miss out. The fishers most affected are those who regularly buy RFLs. Two such crossovers have occurred in recent years – one driven by necessity and the other driven by overriding political objectives.

THE RFL PROGRAM The RFL was introduced in 1999 to fund new programs to benefit recreational fishers.

According to the 2000-01 national survey there were 550,000 fishers older than 12

MARCH 2018

five years in 1999-2000 – the most recent credible estimate of participation in Victoria. In that first year, 234,198 RFLs were sold.

In the immediatelyfollowing years, Victorian governments reported regularly to fishers, accounting for every dollar spent to improve their fishing.

Then, over the past 12 years, programs that governments had funded for decades have gradually been cost-shifted to the RFL Trust Fund.

Initially, this caused considerable angst among some fishers, as it breached the 1999 agreement on how RFL revenue should be used.

It has since become accepted that this cost-shifting was necessary because of continual government-imposed constraints on the VFA’s budget and the recreational fisheries program. If the Trust Fund hadn’t picked up these costs, several highly-valued programs (eg. fish stocking, information products, Fishcare) would have faced severe cut-backs.

Fishers have accepted that some cost-shifting to RFL funding has been necessary for maintaining valued services, facilities and products that exist solely for their benefit.

They can see that the focus rightly remains on improving the quality of their fishing.

RECREATIONAL FISHING INITIATIVES Since 1999, successive governments have used a clever strategy to attract political support from recreational fishers. While reducing the department’s annual funding, they instituted ‘initiatives’ – special extra funding during their current terms of office. These were targeted at the ‘sexy’ stuff – increased fish stocking, family fishing and facilities – not the lower-profile ongoing fisheries work such as enforcement, Fishcare and routine creel surveys, hence the increasing need for the RFL to cover the funding shortfalls.

The incoming Bracks Government started this in 1999 with a $0.42 million Fishing Participation Initiative, aimed at reversing declining participation.

The Bracks-Brumby Government followed this with their $13.5 million Enhanced Recreational Fishing and $3.2 million Go Fishing Victoria initiatives.

The Bailleau-Napthine Government followed with the $16.2 million Recreational Fishing Initiative. Then came the Andrews Government’s current $37 million T1M policy initiative.

TARGET ONE MILLION In the Government’s words, T1M is “Labor’s plan to get more people fishing, more often. Recreational

fishing .... contributes $2.3 billion to our social and economic wellbeing and it encourages kids and families to get outdoors and learn more about our environment.”

The Government’s 2014/15 policy outline initially set out a $37 million program of about 15 commitments intended to boost the number of adults fishing in Victoria annually from 750,000 to one million by 2020. There was no mention of using the RFL to co-fund this program.

Since then, almost all of these measures have been put in place and progress has been reported regularly through a variety of media. There is a good current summary of the T1M budget from 201519, and progress with major projects at vfa.vic.gov.au/ recreational-fishing/targetone-million/budget.

Many projects are extensions of existing ongoing programs: fish stocking, fishing clinics, fishing facilities and assistance to clubs. Others have relied on the Government’s active involvement in improving fishing with projects such as water for Lake Toolondo, boating access to Blue Rock Lake and barramundi stocking in Hazelwood Pondage.

All of these measures have delivered popular benefits to recreational fishers.

The big ticket commitment was $20 million (later increased to $27 million) to remove commercial netting from Port Phillip Bay to increase the fish available to recreational fishers.

KEEPING THE RFL FOCUSED ON FISHING QUALITY The 300,000 fishers who buy RFLs each year are already subsidising the rest of the 750,000 adults who the Government says are fishing. That is, the 60% majority of adult fishers are being subsidised or ‘carried’ by the 40% minority. The Government points out that this grossly unfair situation can only get worse as the population ages and more adults become exempt from the licence. Under the current RFL system, the only way to increase RFL revenue is to hit the dwindling minority of RFL holders with even higher fees.

To illustrate how this unfair situation is already happening, in 2016-17 fewer RFLs were sold than in any of the previous six years. In fact, sales numbers continued a three-year downward trend while sales revenue rose by $1.8 million (26%) above the 2015/16 level, reaching an 18-year high of $8.6 million.

Just as the Government predicted, fewer fishers are paying more each year to subsidise an increasing number of unlicensed fishers.

On the current trend, if the

Government’s target is reached by 2020, 75% of adult fishers will be freeloading on 250,000 RFL holders.

Annual RFL sales peaked in 2013-14 and have decreased in the past three years. From all the surveys and consultation meetings held in Victoria, no fisher has ever been reported as saying they’d like to see a whole lot more adults fishing. So it’s vital that the focus of RFL investment stays firmly on improving current fishers’ quality fishing experiences – not on helping to increase fisher numbers by 33%. Here’s why.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT VS FISHER ENJOYMENT The Government knows that the more fishers there are, the less they enjoy their fishing, but it still aims to build numbers from 750,000 to one million. So far, since T1M began in 2014, the only measure of fisher numbers – annual RFL sales – is trending down towards 250,000. All indications are that, in this climate of increased spending and reduced participation, fishers are enjoying the super-charged benefits of the recreational fisheries program.

So having achieved this enviable state, what can be more important to the Government than fishers’ continued enjoyment of their fishing? Apparently the answer is promoting economic development and regional economies.

Released last September, the Government’s consultation papers on proposed fishing fee regulations discussed the balance between RFL fees, RFL-funded benefits and fishing participation. They recognised that if licence fees are increased too far in order to provide more benefits, participation may fall and remaining fishers may even enjoy these benefits more “because there are fewer people to share with.”

They go on to say that, while fisher satisfaction may be greater with higher benefits and lower fisher numbers, “it may not be desirable.” Why not? Because this would be “inconsistent with the policy objective to increase participation in recreational fishing which has significant economic flow-on benefits, particularly in regional areas.”

In November 2015, Minister Jaala Pulford, spelled out this goal more clearly in Parliament, stating, “The rationale behind this policy is around the economic benefits of increased participation in recreational fishing.”

Let’s get this clear. In the interests of economic development, the Government’s overriding policy objective is to increase the number of people fishing, knowing that it’s likely to

reduce the enjoyment that current fishers – including those paying for RFLs – get from their fishing. Not content with establishing wonderful fishing, the Government seems intent on extending a watered-down fishing experience to a far greater number of Victorians.

What’s more, in addition to the T1M initiative, the Government is using the RFL Trust Fund to get there. It’s spending $9 million of RFL funds on this T1M policy objective during its current term of office. That’s more than a full year’s licence revenue and more than the total investment in the RFL Grants Program in the past four years.

As it happens, there is such a close overlap between the T1M’s and the department’s regular programs that no conflict has arisen from this use of RFL funds. That’s not surprising, as the Government is taking RFL funds, claiming them as T1M funds and spending them on an expanded RFL program (see below).

THE RFL IS MEANT TO IMPROVE FISHING The Government’s 2017 review of the fishing fees regulations states, “The purpose of RFLs is to provide a mechanism for recreational fishers to make a contribution to the costs of supporting recreational fishing opportunities in Victoria. ...Under the Act, money in the Trust Account can only be used for the purpose of improving recreational fishing...” While drawing on the RFL to help fund its T1M program, the Government is wisely focusing this funding on benefits to current Victorian fishers. How long will things stay this way?

GOVERNMENT CONTROL OF THE RFL On top of a decade of cost-shifting long-standing programs to the RFL Trust Fund, the 2016 RFL fees Regulatory Impact Statement made it clear that the Government is now cost-shifting part of its T1M program. This may not be of immediate concern because, as explained above, the way that RFL funds are being used in support of the T1M policy is directly benefiting current fishers. However, there is a warning light flashing.

This is the first time we have seen a government openly co-opt RFL funding for an election commitment that RFL-holders had no input into. It could be argued that the Government has taken $9 million of RFL funds to compensate for underfunding the Port Phillip Bay commercial licence buy-out.

Victoria’s recreational fishers, particularly RFL holders, should see this as a dangerous

precedent and be on the look-out for outright political hijacking of RFL investment priorities in future.

To emphasise this point, the Government’s stated objective for the RFL fee increases includes funding of “programs that will have a net benefit to the recreational fishing sector and the community more broadly.”

So, now the Government sees the intended beneficiaries of RFL investment spreading beyond fishers, to include the ‘sector’ – the charter, guide, boating, bait, tackle and tourism industries – and the community-at-large.

Whether or not they hold RFLs, most fishers are content to acknowledge the substantial social and economic contributions that their fishing activities make to the community. However, their willingness to pay for their fishing should not be assumed to extend to subsidising the Government’s social and economic policy objectives.

SLEIGHT OF HAND Prior to the current Government’s T1M program, all policy initiatives were publicly funded. Today we have a government that openly takes RFL funds and rebadges them as a government initiative to fund more of what the RFL fund was already investing in – and then takes the credit. In 201617, having increased RFL fees and boosted annual sales to $8.6 million, the Government granted itself $2.3 million for the T1M program. So, now the 40% minority of RFL-holders are paying for the Government’s pre-election commitments, as well as subsidising the other 60% of fishers. Where will this end?

With annual RFL revenue heading toward $10 million, isn’t it time that RFL Trust Fund investment refocused on fishers and quality fishing, leaving it to initiative funding to openly and honestly address governments’ broader economic and social agendas?

The Victorian Government documents quoted are: • TARGET ONE MILLION – Labor’s plan to get more people fishing, more often, November 2014 • Regulatory Impact Statement - recreational fishing licence fees, March 2016 • Review of Fisheries (Fees, Royalties and Levies) Regulations 2008, September 2017 • Regulatory Impact Statement - Fisheries (Fees, Royalties and Levies) Regulations 2017, September 2017 • Recreational Fishing Licence Trust Account 2016/17: a report to each House of Parliament on the disbursement of Recreational Fishing Licence revenue, November 2017.

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Stickbaits and how to use ‘twitchin’ sticks’ NSW STH COAST

Steve Starling www.starlofishing.com

Twitching, jerking and ripping shallow-running hard-bodied stickbaits have fish-catching relevance that extends far beyond our northern barra waters.

Lure terminology can sure be a confusing

world where that term is greatly overused.

Other Bomber colours certainly catch fish – often exceptionally well – but chromed gold or the more translucent tiger lily version (with dark bars over a prismatic gold and orange insert), have established themselves as the go-to Bomber finishes, especially amongst keen barra fishers in the north of the country.

contenders from the likes of Jackall, Smiths, Ecogear and Nories, along with a host of others far too numerous to list. There are also various cheap copies, a few of which work well, and some of which don’t.

Buyer beware!

Some of the important characteristics shared by the more successful twitching minnows are a long and thin profile, small

The classic Gold Bomber 15A in its Aussie-inspired barra bomber colour on top of a pile of similar shallow-diving twitch or jerk minnows – they’re all deadly under the right conditions.

Small bibs, a long, thin body and positive buoyancy characterise lures in this class. subject! Lures in the family of hardbodies I’m looking at here are often referred to by Aussie anglers as shallow-running minnows.

However, there are plenty of shallow diving minnows out there that don’t necessarily tick all the boxes when it comes to the specific style of presentation I’m discussing, which can best be described as twitching, ripping or jerking… Yep – they’re Americanisms, for sure, but also rather apt descriptions of the presentations involved.

One make and model of lure represents this niche so well that its name is frequently used to describe the entire family. That lure is the Bomber Long A, especially in its 15A (12cm) size, but also the smaller 14A (9cm) version.

One colour in this lure (metallic gold) also sells as many as the rest put together. The Gold Bomber is a genuine classic in a

However, twitching a shallow-diving stickbait is a great way to catch all manner of fish and not just barra.

By varying the lure model and size, this technique can easily be applied to bream, flathead, mangrove jacks, trevally, bass, estuary perch, redfin and even trout, to name just a handful of prime targets.

Nor is their use confined the freshwater and estuary or inshore scenarios.

Ripping and twitching shallow minnows can also be a great way to fire up tailor, salmon, kingfish, bonito, mackerel and tuna out on the blue water.

Obviously, there are also many of other contenders capable of performing the same duties as a Bomber in this role. These include Rapala’s X-Rap and Shadow Rap ranges, Reidy’s B52, Gillies’ Just Under, Cranka’s Shallow Minnow and several excellent Japanese-made

bib, shallow operating depth, pronounced rolling action and positive buoyancy. In other words, they float at rest. Neutral buoyancy or suspending models certainly have their place, but sinking options are not so useful in the role described. This is worth bearing in mind if you’re upgrading hardware, as it’s easy to turn a floater into a

The old balsa Rapala Flat Rap is one of the author’s favourite twitch baits. sinker by fitting excessively heavy hooks and rings.

All of these bomberstyle minnows are at their best when employed in their deadly twitching

While lures in this category are best known amongst barra fishers, they are capable of catching many other species.

mode, especially when the target species is found in relatively shallow water (usually less than 2m), or suspended near the surface.

The simple instructions printed on the back of the Aussie-inspired (and beefed-up) “Barra Bomber” 15A’s packaging offer a basic but useful description of one popular presentation strategy for working these and many similar floating/ diving twitch minnows: • Cast near a snag or cover and wait until the lure comes to rest as it floats • Give the lure a sharp jerk with the rod and immediately take up the slack • Wait until the lure floats back to the surface • Count to five and repeat from Step 2.

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As the pack instructions go on to explain, “The strike nearly always occurs when the lure is floating up, or when it is on the surface.”

In reality, the nuances involved in twitching a shallow running minnow of this type are limited only by the inventiveness of the angler. By varying the size of the lure to suit the target species and adjusting your rod work accordingly, twitching stickbaits is an applicable (and often deadly) method across an incredibly wide range of angling scenarios.

In my opinion, it’s also an approach far too often overlooked by Aussie anglers. Why not make yourself a promise to give it a try this year?

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A warm, quiet place to fish WEST COAST

Brett Carson

It’s fair to say this summer on the mighty Glenelg has been a good one. As tides have driven the salt up the river, the water has cleared and the fishing has just gotten better and better. March weather tends to still be warm with low winds making it easy to find a quiet, glassy stretch of the river to fish.

Masses of baitfish are being hunted up and down the river by hordes of hungry mulloway. Most are fat with regular fishos commenting on what good condition the majority of mulloway are in. Just like Murray cod and barra (and myself), when they are well fed they don’t immediately get much longer, they just get deeper and fatter in the guts.

With the last two winters of good rainfall

keeping the river mouth open, the mulloway fishing has improved out of sight.

However, there is great debate over the ‘natural’ blocking of the river and some say it’s part of the healthy river cycle. I agree, but also believe in the drier years it is blocked too often and for too long.

When it’s dry, the dam upstream and water that is taken from the system reduce natural flows that help to

keep the mouth open. The simple answer to all of this is more rain; I pity the water authorities trying to appease everyone.

Why do I mention this?

The late summer and early autumn months are when large mulloway school out from the local creeks and bays, and hopefully chase bait schools into the river when the mouth is open.

When I was younger, at this time of year we would go offshore to target the magical 50lb fish that followed the bait schools around the coast.

With the mouth being open this year and last year during this period, we have seen masses of bait in the river with more consistency in legal-size fish. Shack owners along the river are saying they’ve never seen mullet in such abundance.

We are so lucky to have such a healthy river.

The bream fishing has really picked up in the last few months with good numbers of big fish being

Nicki with a decent mulloway. serious numbers with lots of smaller to medium fish.

Numbers of bigger fish in the 40s and above are coming from upstream on lures and livies. It’s common for a larger mullet intended for mulloway to fall prey to a large perch – they will take much larger baits than you think.

Diko with a mulloway from upstream.

Sammy caught this healthy bream. taken on crabs fished hard up against the rock walls. If you find things are a little quiet, crack the crab shell a bit to let some scent out; big bream find a lightly weighted crab pretty hard to resist. Move around a bit and try to mix it up until you find the bite. Some days you will find all the fish on rock banks – the next they will be on reed beds, with the depth varying as well.

Fishing the estuary on the tide is always a good option. Crabs and pod worms account for plenty of fish feeding over the sand flats. This area is a great spot to have a crack for the land-based lure fisher. With a pair of shorts or waders, you can cover so much ground walking the tidal flats. At times you can sight cast to large schools picking the sand for tucker.

The perch have been exceptional for those targeting them. Surface lures or bent minnows have been deadly in the morning and late evening, especially down around the Nelson township.

In summer this area holds 16

MARCH 2018

The surf has produced plenty of mulloway, gummies and schoolies. As always, those putting the hours in are reaping the rewards. You’ll often have nothing before 11pm, then a flurry of action on the tide ensures the night is a success. So many go home before the real action starts – scared of the dark I suppose?

Just be careful crossing the sand hill on Piccannini Beach, as the creek can run hard at times against the other side. It pays to walk it first. Trust me; you’ll see what I mean and if you value your wheels, you’ll have a look.

• Good luck and feel free to come and see us at Nelson Boat Hire for the latest info.

We have the local ‘live bait licence,’ meaning we stock live mullet, crabs and pod worms along with all the frozen bait, tackle and lures you need for the area. We’ll do our best to give you some local knowledge and get you on the fish quicker.

Chris and his crew had a good session on the mulloway.

Good fish are showing up in cooler water PORTLAND

John Johnstone

With summer drawing to a close, the fishing just keeps getting better and better at Portland.

The run of bluefin tuna that started last year has continued; this will only get better as the water cools down and the fish start showing up in the traditional water from 40m to the shelf. Albacore will start to show for anglers wanting to chase them.

Kingfish are still here, but with the water cooling, they are proving more and more difficult to catch.

Good catches of whiting are still being caught, with whiting up to 55cm taken from the usual areas. Point Danger right through to the north shore is producing the goods.

Good catches of pinkie snapper have also been taken on the inshore reefs.

Anchoring up and berleying while using unweighed or lightly weighed baits is proving to be a very successful method to catch these fish. Gummy and school sharks are in good numbers and will only get better the further into autumn we go.

Good catches of flathead, morwong and

gurnard have been taken from the Bridgewater grounds for those wanting to target them.

Looking further out, deep dropping on the shelf has slowed down a little, with anglers having

Tim, Ben and Shaun with a great catch of blue-eye.

to work a little harder to get a feed. If you stay out there long enough, there have been some good catches of blue-eye, pink ling, gemfish and grenadier with blue-eye to 12kg and ling to 10kg.

The local beaches are fishing well for snapper, whiting and even a kingfish or two; the Dutton through to the Fitzroy river mouth is a great place to wet a line.

The Lee Breakwater has had snapper to 7kg, whiting to 50cm, kingfish, plenty of little pinkies, salmon and barracouta to keep the kids entertained.

Once again the annual Hooked On Tuna Competition will run from the Easter long weekend, for 4-5 weeks with $5000 being awarded for the heaviest tuna. It’s sure to be a great event, and last year a 15-year-old won it, so don’t think it’s just for adults. Anyone can enter and remember – you have to be in it to win it.

In all Portland is living up to its reputation as the premier fishing destination in Victoria. With some of the best facilities in the state coupled with great fishing for all ages and abilities from the shelf to the lakes, Portland offers it all.

• Portland Bait and Tackle is family-owned and operated

Lachie Goldby with a nice schoolie also caught along the North Shore. stoking fishing tackle, bait and marine accessories.

They are open 7 days a week from 7 to 7. Portland’s one stop fishing tackle shop, we cover everything from chasing redfin and trout in fresh water to blue eye and other deep sea fish over the continental shelf. The new owner John Johnstone has extensive fishing experience for

both fresh and saltwater.

He has fished most areas of Australia, from chasing trout in the high country to the jumbo tuna down the West Coast – the chances are John has done it. To get the latest advice on what’s been caught call Portland Bait and Tackle on (03) 5523 5213 or drop in and see them at 111 Bentinck Street, Portland.

Summer species are still an option this month WARRNAMBOOL

Mark Gercovich mgercovich@hotmail.com

March is a month where the summer species are still up and about as well as the new summer staple of some excellent school bluefin fishing.

The Hopkins and the Moyne rivers continue to produce mulloway, both for those targeting them and others who get an unexpected shock when bream fishing. There have been some quality fish taken with stories of bigger ones hooked and lost. Trying to concentrate on mulloway fishing can be difficult though when the surface bite for bream has been so good. When the conditions have been right the bream surface fishing has been on fire. Casting bent minnowstyle lures, pink grubs and walk-the-dog lures into the shallow margins can have even the most hardened anglers giggling like school kids as their lures get constantly sipped, slammed or boofed off the surface by ravenous bream.

Estuary perch have been very scarce in the

Kingfish should still be a viable target this month.

lower reaches, with most fish pushing up into the freshwater areas of the Hopkins. These freshwater areas can produce some great EP fishing at this time of the year, with the added variety of some bream that have pushed upriver as well as the chance of a redfin, brown trout or even the odd bass. It is a great way to spend a session wandering along the local streams at this time of year; just keep a good eye out for snakes.

With the kings a little quiet we have once again experienced another good summer run of bluefin tuna.

These fish are a good average size (with plenty over the genuine 20kg mark) and usually close to shore in the 15-30m region, so catching tuna in the middle of winter doesn’t seem like as much fun anymore. Throwing stickbaits into the school and trolling small skirts (virtually salmon lure size) have been the best two methods to get connected to one of these powerhouses.

After a promising start to the season things slowed down on the kingfish front, particularly when you compare how they were biting in other areas of the state. It took until the last day of the recent eight-day Shipwreck

Kris Grixti with a more unusual Hopkins River catch – a solid Australian bass.

Coast Fishing Competition for a kingfish to be weighed in with a 5.7kg king taken

by Tony McIlroy, narrowly beating Patrick RennieHynes’ 5.5kg mulloway for the heaviest scale fish.

The heaviest gamefish was a 49kg mako taken by

Anthony Haberfield and the largest tuna was taken

by Anne-Marie Oosthuizen at 22.6kg. If you missed out on the competition this year then it’s always worth the trip down this month for the wide variety of species available.

MARCH 2018

17

Plenty of fishable days and good weather APOLLO BAY

Wayne Diffey

The weather gods have been pretty kind recently with plenty of fishable days, both land-based and in the boat.

Salmon have been caught off the beaches; bait fishing and spinning have

still a favourite spot. Good reports are coming from Johanna Beach as well.

Out wide the gummies, snapper and some big flatties have still been about in good numbers.

Bald Hill, Blanket Bay and Cape Paton reefs have been very productive for the gummies in 40-50m of water. Matt from Hit-n-Run

A great bunch of Cape Otway kingfish. been pretty reasonable with reports of some good catches up to 2kg with Wild Dog Creek Beach

charter told me that the gummies had been thick and that they were coming up like flatties.

The schools of southern bluefin tuna are still about off Cape Otway as well, with reports of large schools busting up all around Cape Otway, but being very finicky. Most of those caught have been in the 15-25kg range with one report of a 45kg fish. Casting lures like the Rapala X-Rap LongCast Shallow 14cm into the schools has been very productive, as well as trolling small skirts. A few fishos have also resorted to cubing, which also worked.

The kingfish are still being caught in good numbers off Cape Otway, with fish from 60cm up to 80cm+. They still don’t seem too fussy about what they go for, with fish caught on knife jigs, stickbaits, live baits, fresh squid strips and your big soft plastics.

Matt recently had a good day out reef fishing; he threw out some squid strips on the way back and got hammered, boating seven kingfish with one weighing in at 12kg.

Apollo Bay Harbour has also been fishing well on the incoming tide, with

Some lovely gummies from Cape Otway. plenty of King George whiting getting caught. The calamari have also started to show up in bigger numbers, albeit no so big in size.

The local rivers and streams seem to be fishing pretty well, with reports of plenty of bream

being caught, mostly on unweighted scrubbies or sandworms. There have also been good numbers of trout caught upstream, again on scrubbies or small hardbody lures like Ecogear SX40s or the Rapala X-Rap 4cm. Just be very careful

walking the streams as this year has seen large numbers of snakes around. • If you’re coming to Apollo Bay for a fish, be sure to pop in to get all your bait and tackle needs, as well as an up-to-date report, or call us on (03) 5237 6426.

The rivers are breaming with quality fish COBDEN

Rod Shepherd

The offshore scene has been really firing lately for those lucky enough to get out when those stiff southerlies have behaved.

Large schools of southern bluefin tuna have been sighted, chased and caught right along our coastline with some fish pushing the scales down to 30kg. Trolling and sight casting skirted and minnow lures up to 300mm in length has attracted interest. The great thing is that many of these fish have been taken in depths as shallow as

30m, so we are only talking about distances of just a few kilometres offshore, which is doable for many boaters.

Mixed in amongst these speedsters there have been some hard-fighting hoodlum yellowtail kingfish approaching 13kg. These fish have responded to the same lures used to attract the tuna, so there’s no real need to alter any terminal tackle. Just see what takes your offering and hang on for a real fight.

Those bottom bouncing bait such as squid and pilchards over rubbly reefs in 50m depth have nailed some excellent gummy sharks. Mixed in amongst the

gummies have been snapper, however the size and weight has dropped off somewhat.

In fact some of these fish are undersize and can be in almost plague proportions, so move if this occurs.

Morwong, some large Yank flathead, nannygai and large leatherjackets are also about.

There are still plenty of squid about close to the surface, so don’t forget those jigs when next heading out.

Schools of bream have moved right upstream in the Curdies River as they often do at this time of year.

Many will stay there until autumnal or early winter rains send them back down towards the lake.

The fish are responding to local baits such as shrimp and greyback minnows. Soft plastics in shrimp and crab patterns are also working. So too are

well to surface and sub-surface poppers fished over the weed beds right down near the mouth. This perch feeding frenzy often happens on a tidal change

a few takes. First and last light have been the prime times to wet a line, as during the course of the day when the sun is overhead the bream tend to

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This average Hopkins bream was taken off a mud flat on a shallow diving Damiki Parimi lure. medium diving minnows twitched right up close to the bank side reed beds.

The Hopkins River has also been good for bream and estuary perch. Some nice perch have responded

occurring after sundown.

The bream can be found over the many mud and sand flats that exist in this system. Working baits, lures and plastics over the shallows has attracted quite

head towards the channel drop-offs and deeper water, so the bite can slow considerably. The mouth is still open but could shut at any time in the near future.

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This autumn has started off with a big bang GEELONG

Neil Slater slaterbunch@optusnet.com.au

As we bid summer farewell and ease into ‘awesome,’ the fishing in the region has been going from strength to strength.

The Barwon River in Geelong remained relatively clear throughout summer, which has been great for those keen on lure fishing

for redfin. Most of the redfin have been around the 30cm mark with a few up around 40cm. Live minnows have been the best bait and 50mm single-tailed grub soft plastics have also taken a few. Carp fishing enthusiasts have also caught plenty using bread or sweet corn kernels.

Corio Bay has been fishing well for pinkie snapper either side of the shipping channel and over the spoil grounds near Limeburners

Boat Ramp with bluebait, pilchards and soft plastics working best.

Clifton Springs has seen a decent run of whiting over the last week with a few anglers getting fish up to 37cm on dusk. With no real bag-limit action, there’s enough for a great feed here and a few quality flathead to 45cm make a welcome by-catch.

Garfish have been thick inside Corio Bay. They are tasty critters and also make

Daniel caught some quality kings in the Rip.

20

MARCH 2018

How’s that for a trevally? Zoe had a ball fishing with her dad on the Bellarine.

excellent bait for snapper and kingfish. All you need is a bit of tuna oil and chook pellets for berley, size 12 long shank hooks and a quill float rig; before long, you’ll have them keen.

I fished out off Clifton Springs with Garry Gould, my daughter Adele and her friend Lily recently. We caught a few whiting and flatties using pipis and squid in 5m of water out off the Leopold Hill.

Other anglers were fishing the shallows nearby and also caught a few. There were no bag limits or big fish, but enough for a feed.

March should see the size and numbers of King George whiting increase around Corio Bay’s inner harbour, Point Henry and Avalon for boaties and Limeburners Rock Wall and St Helens for land-based fishos. Plan your fishing trip for dawn and dusk to increase your chances.

Flathead to 45cm have been caught by anglers fishing in water around 6m in Corio Bay and 16-18m off St Leonards and Indented Head. Calamari are always worth a shot here when all else fails and although they have been a bit quiet, you can always find a few over the shallow reef areas.

Brent Hodges spent a few hours chasing squid off St Leonards with his daughter Zoe this summer. They found plenty of calamari biting by casting 3.0 and 3.5 size jigs over the weed beds in 3-4m of water. Most of the larger squid they caught were followed by mates, so if you’re quick enough to get another jig in the water, you can often get them to take a jig boat-side, which is awesome fun.

After securing a few of calamari, Brent and Zoe decided to have a quick

at 49cm on a Gulp Turtle Back Worm. Brent said it was an awesome fight in the flowing tide on light gear – a great way to finish a dad-daughter day on the water.

Queenscliff has seen quality King George whiting to 45cm taken over the sand/weed junctions. While calamari have been a little harder to locate, they are always worth a look. Landbased fishos should try the Queenscliff Harbour for silver trevally and calamari throughout March, as there

Jeremy with a ripper bronzie that he caught on 10kg line! cast with soft plastic lures inside Swan Bay on the way back to the ramp where they caught a cracking silver trevally measuring in

can be some beauties caught in here. Try pilchard fillets and raw chicken for bait or 50mm single-tailed grubs in motor oil for lure fishos.

The yellowtail kingfish have caused bit of excitement to say the least! Plenty of boats are in the Rip and out in Bass Strait in search of thishardfighting species. Most fish are around 50-65cm, but there have been a few around 10kg landed and the odd fish hooked that was too powerful to land. The kings have been caught by fishing heavy jigs and squid strips deep when a school is located while a few have been accounted for by trolling small skirts in conjunction with diving minnows on the surface.

Daniel Williams fished the Rip last month and managed a few quality kingfish between 7.5-9kg using 30cm squid as live bait.

Daniel had a rod baited with live squid sitting in a stainless rod holder when a big king grabbed it and sent the tip of the rod over so hard it bent the rod holder! Daniel grabbed the rod with the fish on and let go of his other rod.

He fought the fish hard and when he looked around, he noticed that the other rod he had set down was missing!

Yep, he lost a rod overboard!

The missing rod had a Shimano Stella 20,000 reel second edition with a gold spool on a Daiwa Saltiga jigging rod. Rumour has it that another fisher hauled the rod in and Daniel would be grateful if it could be

returned. If anyone knows its whereabouts, flick me an email or call and I can forward the information to Daniel.

I fished out off Barwon Heads with Dave Reynolds in search of kings last month.

We trolled from the Barwon River mouth to the Rip and back around Charlemont Reef with the only bite being a salmon a bit over a kilogram in weight – although Dave trolled one of my lures about with a hook protector on for two hours, so he may have had a few bites.

Out in Bass Strait, there have been a few sharks about as Jeremy McLoughlin can attest. Fishing with his brother Kevin out off Torquay last month, Jeremy hooked and landed a cracking 38kg bronze whaler using 10kg tackle – great effort!

The Barwon River estuary has had fair numbers of King George whiting biting on both tides when the flow is lowest. Pipis have been the standout baits and they’ve also been caught on squid.

Further down the Surf Coast, there have been kingfish about, which have stretched the scales to 13kg, which is big enough to test your knots out, all right.

Inshore anglers have enjoyed a few King George whiting, salmon and pinkie snapper from the rock platforms.

Dave and Neil could only manage a salmon off Barwon Heads. Dave also lost this hat.

FISH HARD – DIE HAPPY! Catch a few around Geelong, Bellarine Peninsula or Surf Coast to Lorne recently? Send in a report to slaterbunch@optusnet.com. au with ‘VFM’ in the subject

field or give me a call on 0408 997 348. Please include where (without giving away your secret spot!), when, what on and who caught the fish.

Pictures are always great, but please make sure they are at least 1mb (file size).

MARCH 2018

21

Fishing like kings around the Melbourne area PORT PHILLIP BAY WEST

Alan Bonnici alan@fishingmad.com.au

The fishing in recent weeks has been as inconsistent as Melbourne’s weather, with searing hot summer days often followed by wild

wind, rain, and dramatic temperature changes.

Summer has finished and we’re excited about the fishing opportunities that Melbourne has to offer in autumn.

Catching a big kingfish is the stuff that local anglers dream about and fishing

The author caught this decent bream on light spinning gear.

for yellowtail kingfish in Victoria has continued to get better and better in recent years, which is wonderful news for local anglers. I’m not quite sure why this is rapidly improving and why we are seeing more catches of this species; perhaps it’s the temperature change or breeding patterns.

Whatever the answer might be, it’s making landing a king more frequent and accessible.

Kingfish are unparalleled as they possess immense power; for this reason they are rapidly growing in popularity as a target species. Kingies can grow over a metre in length, have amazing fighting qualities and generally school up in big numbers. They’re also a renowned table fish and are a very welcome by-catch for those who may have been out in deeper waters targeting species such as tuna.

There have been reports surfacing daily of kingfish

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The author with a 40cm bream taken from the West Gate Bridge. being caught on boats with reliable locations being the Rip (PPB entrance), Portland, Barwon Heads, Black Rock, Port Fairy, Mallacoota, Wilsons Prom, Narooma and Welshpool.

These are often quite challenging locations to get to and require a big boat.

Patience and persistence have been crucial for anglers, as there have been many small kingies caught around the 60cm mark, which are often called rats; that patience finally pays off when the big kingfish come out to play.

There is a bag limit of five kingies with the legal size limit being 60cm.

Vertical jigging from the boat has been one of the most successful techniques, which is done by dropping a vertical jig and hopping it up and down trying to get the attention of a big aggressive king passing by.

Just keep an eye out for seals, which turn up from time to time eager to spoil your fishing session.

Local land-based anglers have received a lot of attention around Melbourne with wellpublicized catches of Kingfish around Docklands, Williamstown and Port Melbourne. It can be more challenging for land-based anglers with much patience, persistence and skill required to land a big kingy, particularly when fishing off a pier or jetty as they will head for structure in the dying stages of the battle. It can be heartbreaking to lose one after a long fight.

For land-based anglers throwing out a big bait such as a full squid or pilchard

has produced good results.

Kingies are generally around for Melbournians from December through to March, so we’re coming towards the end of the action. There are some great local charter operators that have been exclusively targeting kingfish throughout this period, so get online and look up a local charter operator if you’re keen to get in on the action.

I’ve been receiving a lot of regular reports in recent weeks of exceptional whiting fishing around Port Phillip Bay and Western Port. Areas fishing well for whiting have included Point Wilson, Corio Bay,

Rye, Rosebud, Mornington, Tooradin, and Blairgowrie.

With whiting up to 45cm being caught regularly, using worm imitation-style soft plastics and staple baits such as pipis or muscles.

Some anglers have also had success in the shallows using surface poppers, which is an exciting way to target whiting.

It’s always great to see local anglers catch a fish of a lifetime and I was pleased to receive a photo and story from Mahmoud Karim who recently caught a 1m mulloway along the Webb Dock Rock Wall in Port Melbourne. It’s never easy to land a fish of this size when land-based fishing

Mahmoud Karim with a quality mulloway.

around rocky structure and Mahmoud was able to land this monster with the guidance and support of his son Wissam.

I have spent time on the kayak out locally in Hobsons Bay around Williamstown flicking soft plastics and hardbody lures towards boat hulls and pier

structure with great success.

This technique has worked well and consistently seen large bream up to 41cm landed.

The standout lures have included the trusty Cranka Crabs, Slim SwimZ and the new range of Savage Gear Manic Crab and Pro Grubs.

Last month I had the privilege of competing in the Lake Eppalock Fishing Challenge, which saw anglers and families head towards Heathcote to fish the mighty Lake Eppalock and compete for the biggest redfin, golden perch, and carp. It was a very enjoyable day and raised

Dell with a big, local Melbourne bream.

awareness and funds for the local community, including the local fire brigade and holiday park.

I had a great day on the water with good mates Michael and Peter Smith. The weather was exceptional and we caught many 25-35cm redfin.

Surprisingly the golden perch and carp numbers were a bit down with only a handful of each were caught. I was extremely pleased to walk away from the event a winner by catching the biggest redfin of the day.

I have spent a lot of time in recent weeks going back to basics by landbased fishing targeting bread and butter species such as bream, flathead and pinkies using traditional baits. This has been part of an exercise to publish some instructional videos for local anglers in spots close to Melbourne.

These how-to videos have included locations such as the Warmies, West Gate Bridge, Yarra near Crown Casino, Williamstown and even some of our local lakes such as Cherry and Albert Park Lake, targeting estuary perch and large carp.

Throughout I have caught up with several keen local anglers who wanted

An urban kingfish at its very best. assistance, shown them some key fundamentals of rigging techniques and areas to target, and thankfully I have been able to get them onto some fish. If you’re after a few tips to get you started then make sure you check out the FishingMad YouTube channel.

That’s all for this month.

I’d love to hear about your recent fishing experiences around Melbourne and Port Phillip Bay. Feel free to contact me by email on alan@fishingmad.com.au, at www.fishingmad.com.au, or on Facebook via facebook. com/fishingmad.com.au.

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Great fishing should continue PORT PHILLIP NE

Wayne Friebe wfriebe@bigpond.net.au

After a long period of mayhem and pressure during the busy holiday period, the boat ramps and popular land-based

areas have returned to a more normal state for local anglers. Many fishers expect the normal seasonal changes to be delayed this year, after a late start for many species, so I would expect many of the trends of the last month to continue for at least the next month or so. Recent weather

conditions have been very settled, so hopefully this continues as well.

With so many other great fishing options on offer, both locally and further afield, snapper reports have been few and far between over the past month. However, some anglers still love chasing reds, and why not? Some decent fish have been taken from the local areas over the last month, especially in the Mornington and Mount Martha areas.

Both the wider marks and those in close have been producing. They have

has also been producing some nice school-sized snapper on baits and lures up to 2-3kg for anglers fishing early mornings and during the rougher weather.

Kingfish captures in the bay are certain to cause plenty of excitement amongst anglers.

There has definitely been a big buzz around the quantity and regularity of kingfish captures in the Rip and nearby areas at the entrance of PPB. Reports and captures have been less frequent further north in the bay itself around the usual spots, but recent sightings and

Dylan Rogers with his 35kg tuna taken off Flinders on a stickbait.

Jet Worsteling with a solid EP from Devils Bend.

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Local angler Dillon with a decent snapper from Mornington Pier. been turning over some nice gummies, as young Dillon found out recently fishing 1km out from the Mornington Pier.

The presence of gummies for PPB anglers has been a regular thing this snapper season; let’s hope this continues for some time to come.

There are always plenty of pinkies on the inshore reefs for kayak and lure fishing anglers, and the last month has been no exception. The general area around the mussel farm out from Mount Martha

captures are very encouraging.

Typically, most of the kings reported have been hunting and swimming with large schools of salmon working their way from Frankston to Mornington, and have also been seen in smaller groups hunting the shoreline for garfish and other baitfish.

It’s always a matter of being at the right place at the right time with kingfish, but the most reliable method is to

match the hatch and to fish live garfish, or even small salmon, and cast and troll lures and plastics of similar sizes and colours.

Recent reports of bluefin tuna around the Rip have also been very encouraging for us all. With captures in nearby areas, it’s only a matter of time before these great sport fish are on our doorstep when the conditions are right.

Local whiting reports have once again been a little slow over the past month, but recent reports of a fresh run of fish coming in further south from Sorrento to Rosebud are encouraging and should see some better captures in our local areas in the coming months. Once again, with the late start to the season last year, I would expect the whiting fishing to get better and continue right through the autumn months this year, so don’t pack up the nibble tips and the bait pump just yet!

Recent changes to fishing restrictions and access at Devil Bend Reservoir have further

increased the popularity of the fishery of late, and some nice fish have been taken as a result. Anglers have been reporting some nice trout being taken outside and amongst the weed edges, and a decent redfin as well.

Jet Worsteling has been outdoing his old man lately, catching some nice EPs on surface lures and other offerings. The popularity and success of the EP stocking program at this waterway has been a real bonus for local anglers, and provides a great, fun and safe place for fishers of all ages to spend a few hours on the water.

After some ordinary weather and water during the summer months, the Patto has be fishing well once again, with lure anglers reporting decent fish being taken on surface lures and Cranka Crabs around the canals. The bait fishers have been accounting for smaller fish in the main river system, as well as mullet and salmon from the mouth of the river.

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Robert Wilson displays an average whiting taken from Rosebud Reef.

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It’s still a great time to search for kingfish PORT PHILLIP EAST

Lee Rayner info@fishingfever.com.au

It’s March and I am scratching my noggin wondering where the past two months went. I love March and April; as the water starts to cool off a little and brings with it some very good fishing. It also tends to be the time that some of the bigger fish make a reappearance, with some quality whiting and even the odd, big late-season snapper on the cards.

MORDIALLOC TO BLACK ROCK The past few weeks have been a real mixed bag off the Mordialloc Pier with each day often producing something different. You can get anything from garfish to salmon and pinkies with a few

Tom with a great kingfish that he caught after launching from Flinders Beach. good sessions on the squid thrown in.

Basically it has been a pretty simple formula with

the clear water and calm conditions producing squid and a few garfish. A bit of rain and coloured water or a good

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blow can see some nice pinkies and decent salmon getting caught by land-based anglers.

The other great thing about March is that it also usually sees nice, calm weather, and better numbers of squid.

Anglers are already reporting excellent numbers from Mordialloc to Beaumaris. One of the real hotspots has been the Parkdale Pinnacles.

There has still been the odd small kingfish lurking around the nearby reefs, so it’s well worth putting a live squid or garfish out under a float while you chase other species.

Up around Ricketts Point and down towards Black Rock, the pinkie fishing has come back on with anglers reporting fish around the 40cm mark.

During this month, we should also start to see more consistent schools of salmon poking their heads up along the edge of the reef, along with a few kingfish.

For a change of pace I have also found the next two months to always be good for the tasty red mullet in these parts; my successes have come by fishing smaller soft plastics close to the bottom in the reef areas.

On the whiting front, reports in this part of the bay have been a bit scattered, but they tend to be coming more from the Teahouse through to Black Rock.

SANDRINGHAM TO ST KILDA As the water starts to cool off just a little, the landbased fishing in this part of the bay really begins to shine

once again. With an influx of pinkies moving back in on the shallow reefs, along with squid and a few leftover schools of whiting from the past few months, it can make for some really great fishing with mixed bags of fish.

February saw a few scattered reports of anglers hooking kingfish off locations like the Anonyma Shoal and even a report off Green Point. I’m fairly sure that this month will still see a few kicking around, especially in the standard shallow whiting and squid areas that they love to patrol.

March also generally sees a good influx of squid as the water starts to cool off. Often in this part of the world they are in big numbers of smaller squid on the shallower areas and if you get into deeper water of 5-8m, there are usually some better quality specimens to be found.

Boat anglers fishing between Sandringham and Brighton have had good success on whiting and pinkies over the past weeks, but rolling into March it’s well worth fishing some slightly bigger baits as you will start to see some of those quality pinkies turn up.

Further north around Green Point and up towards St Kilda, anglers are reporting some good red mullet. If you put some berley in the water,

you have a good chance of getting onto the gars, as there have been some excellent catches of garfish reported.

ST KILDA TO PORT MELBOURNE If we continue to move into nice, settled weather over the coming weeks then this area will have good fishing on offer with March and April often producing some great salmon schools and plenty of garfish action for both boat and landbased anglers.

For March anglers, it’s well worth trying out off St Kilda breakwater in about 8m of water as the rough bottom will be holding good numbers of pinkies and even the odd school of whiting.

Further along at Kerford Road and Lagoon Pier, it’s also a top time to fish the evening and into the night for some quality pinkies that will be moving into the shallows to feed under the cover of darkness.

If you’re in a boat this month then it could also be worth putting in some time around Station Pier at night, as some quality late season reds also make their way into this small pocket of the bay during March and April.

So there you have it; there are plenty of fishing options. Just remember to pack a jumper as the nights begin to cool off!

There’s should be plenty of fishing options available this month, and kingfish will be high on many anglers’ hit lists!

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Plenty of goodies around the bay this month MORNINGTON PENINSULA

Julian Frank

Things have certainly calmed down now since January and February.

There are still a number of day-trippers on the weekends but the boat traffic has really subsided and the fishing has undoubtedly gotten better. We can expect to see a run of late season snapper out wide and kings offshore, plus all the other goodies the bay has to offer during March.

MT MARTHA AND RYE Now is the time to be heading out in search of those late season reds.

If you’re a keen snapper fisho, this will be right up your alley and March is one of the best months to be fishing for these big specimens.

Start by fishing the deeper grounds off Mt Martha and towards Rye, which are ideal areas to target these fish. Really work these areas and sound your fish up. Once your boat is positioned correctly into the tide, start with berley cubes; you don’t need tonnes of berley for these fish.

Fresh baits are key and a whole squid head will not be overlooked by a big, hungry red. If you’re looking for a quick bait

collection fishing around the rocks is fantastic at the moment with large bags being taken early in the morning. It shouldn’t be any hassle getting enough for a good snapper session or just for a feed.

The spearfishing has been very consistent too.

We have seen and heard good reports of whiting and salmon being taken out off the pillars and back towards Mt Martha Beach.

GUNNAMATTA The surf beaches have started to show more action lately, with plenty of mullet caught around the low tide.

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the fish in close proximity.

You will also find the odd herring in the mix.

Salmon have been taken on a number of different lures. While they aren’t big fish at the moment and they’re not in great numbers, they’re still worth catching and are great fun on light gear.

The full moon periods this month will be ideal for gummy fishing off the back beaches. Pick the last few hours of the tides during these times.

RYE TO SORRENTO Blairgowrie Pier has been producing decent opportunities with great mixed bags. Fishing the afternoons has proved to be a winner for most and the pier is littered with ink stains. Aside from this, silver trevally have been on the chew for short periods before retreating to the front of the wall.

There are also plenty of good-size pinkies being caught on early mornings out the front of the marina.

Plenty of baitfish are there for those of you wanting to chase down a kingfish in the heads or if you’re after some fresh baits to chase a snapper or gummy late afternoon.

PORTSEA The area around the pier has been fishing well during the morning for good catches of squid and whiting, which are quite common at this time of year. Fish the flood tide for the best results on the whiting. Salmon are still being caught on the inside of Portsea Pier on soft plastics and metals along with the odd snook and red mullet if you’re working small grubs or similar and hopping them across the sand.

For more up-to-date and week-to-week reports, please drop by the Compleat Angler in Rosebud and have a chat to one of the local guys.

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Late season snapper are surprising anglers Andrew Ketelaar headed up the Gentle Annie Channel to a suss out a few of his whiting marks and found they were littered with good pinky snapper. These pinkies were all hovering around the 40cm mark and the incoming tide was easily the best time to fish.

THE NORTH ARM If it’s whiting you desire

WESTERN PORT NTH

Adam Ring

I can’t believe it’s March already! A lot has happened in the fishing game over the last month and to be perfectly honest with you the fishing has been a little on the tough side. However, there are always enough reports to give us a little mental map of where to head out to get a feed.

THE TOP END The last species that I thought I would be writing about this month is snapper but we have seen a little run of beautiful plate-sized snapper and I love it!

The whiting are still teasing us and I feel as though they are on the cusp of going right off, but for the time being the anglers who are prepared to move a lot are the ones coming home with the goods.

Jack Anderson and his old man had a crack at a few different spots around the top end and managed to get their bag of pinkies and a cracking little gummy to top things off.

It’s quite common for the pinkies to be around at this time of year but

Riley Palling and a surprising 5kg snapper from Lysaughts! after an underwhelming snapper season we were all wondering if they would show up at all!

Craig McClusky and his son Brodie hit the top end of the port with whiting on their minds. After initially

working pretty hard to find them they ended with a great bag of whiting, taken on fresh mussels during the incoming tide. The bigger fish of the bag were nudging 44cm – damn good whiting in anyone’s books.

There have been some really nice whiting schools in the Tooradin Channel and Chris Vatanopast was one angler to get amongst them.

The secret to his success was to berley hard and keep those shy fish around the boat, and then feed them premium baits like fresh pipis with a nice strips of fresh calamari hung over the top. The run-out tide was the go as the whiting came off the banks and back into the channel. It’s those one-percenters that lead to good bags of fish!

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then the Middle Spit is where I would be heading.

It’s just starting to build nicely and the consistency is really starting to get there for the whiting. Tracey Di Ciero had a huge session on the ‘ting and left with a beautiful bag of fish for the table.

Pipis were the bait of choice.

Murray Wannan put in an early start and fished

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Andrew Ketelaar with two cracking pinkies from Gentle Annie.

at dawn in 8m of water off the Spit on a recent outing. It turns out that the early start was a great choice as Murray left with 13 whiting and the biggest one stretched the tape out to a massive 47cm!

Mussels, Bass yabbies and Californian squid strips all worked really well.

The pinkies are really starting to school up out from Lysaughts and Riley Palling took the right approach and put out the whiting gear to have a bit of fun on them. Unfortunately old mate snapper didn’t get the memo that it was a pinky trip and took a liking to Riley’s smaller baits! It just goes to show that regardless of how the reports look, there are always those bigger fish prowling around!

That just about wraps it up for another month and I can’t wait to see what the next four weeks have to throw at us. The whiting have just got to fire right up, don’t they?

Thanks to everyone who submitted a report and good luck on your next adventure!

Tuna, kingfish and sharks will all be on fire!

WESTERN PORT STH

Jarrod Day jarrodday@iprimus.com.au

How do you begin writing a report on Western Port when out of the blue, southern bluefin tuna of 31kg and bigger are being caught in Western Port and Bass Strait? I am totally perplexed, as this is the first time in my life that tuna have been caught within the confines of the port itself, let alone from a pier. Yep, that’s right; a lone angler cast, hooked, fought and lost a tuna from the Flinders Pier. To say I am lost for words is a total understatement, but don’t stop reading just yet.

I’d usually be writing about mako sharks and kingfish that have been caught in Bass Strait, but this year it is all about the odd king and a bunch of solid bluefin tuna.

It all began back in mid-January when Justin Blythe and his crew consisting of Andrew, Corey, Daniel, Kevin, Liam and Tony set off in search of kings close in along the coastline towards Cape Schanck.

Noticing a bust-up of fish on the surface, the boys threw in a few skirted lures and trolled in their direction.

Shortly after one rod let off with a bang and, after an epic hour-long battle, they landed

Following suit a few days later, local angler and fishing journalist John Cahill headed out solo down the Western Entrance. Noticing a school of tuna, he cast a stickbait and hooked into a solid fish. Battling the fish and driving the boat himself, John ended up sinking the gaff into a solid 31kg southern bluefin, which has rounded out just how good the fishing has been.

around buoy five and seven approaching the slack tide have been producing whiting up in the high 40s. Fishing in these locations warrants up to 6oz of weight, and it’s worth the effort with such big fish about.

While a 50cm whiting may be hard to find, they are there; all it takes is a lot of patience and research on locations where they have been caught in the past. Cat Bay, Flinders, Balnarring,

Local angler John Cahill with the results of an epic solo battle – a 31kg southern bluefin from the Western Entrance caught on a stickbait. Photo courtesy of John Cahill.

Matt Cini has been doing very well when fishing the deep channels for whiting.

They don’t come much bigger than this 31.7kg gummy shark that Phil Specs caught from the Western Entrance. Photo courtesy of Brendan Wing.

Justin Blythe with a big kingfish. Photo courtesy of Justin Blythe. a whopping southern bluefin just over 67kg.

Not to give the area too much rest, they headed back out a few days later to try their luck again and this time they managed a thumping kingfish while trolling skirted lures.

Recently, one happy angler fishing from the Flinders Pier decided to have a flick and came up tight to a solid fish while fishing from the lower platform. Just out from the pier a school of fish that appeared to be tuna on the surface came within range and after an intense battle he lost.

Further inside the port most of the action has been around the whiting in both the shallows and the deeper channels. Although the whiting in the shallows have been in good numbers, they have also been quite finicky at times. Anglers continue to persist and those that have been using berley have reaped the rewards with most fish in the 34-38cm bracket.

Pipis and mussel have been the top baits.

Most of the larger whiting have been caught in the deep channels.

Locations such as Flinders and the Western Entrance

Somers and even in the deep off Cowes are the pick of locations. Baits can vary but pipis, calamari and mussel are by far the top choices, so plan to have all three of these at your disposal.

Aside from whiting – for those seeking fish that pull a little more string – there has been a solid run of gummy sharks in the Western Entrance. If you look at past fishing reports, you’ll quickly realise that the best time of the year for the catch and release of big gummy sharks is now.

The Western Entrance is a proven location to be

targeting them and with the full moon on 2 March, the lead down will be worth fishing providing the weather allows angler to venture to this part of the port.

Shaun Furtiere had a stellar trip a few weeks back with Brendan Wing and regular customer Phil Specs on board. After putting in the hours on the water, Phil hooked into a monster fish, which later pulled the scales down to a whopping 31.7kg. Fish of this size are quite common at this time of the year and it only takes fresh bait and time on the water for anglers to hook into them. I strongly urge you to release the big females, as these are the breeders that supply us with a multitude of fish to catch throughout the year.

There is no doubting that Western Port has gone from strength to strength over the past month and while March is known for its whiting, gummy sharks and kingfish,

I can’t wait to report on what has been caught in the next edition. Until then, enjoy your time on the port and respect what it has to offer.

The 29th Western Port Whiting Challenge is about to commence and kicks off

on 3-4 March, so if you’re not in it to win it, you better get cracking. With Western Port’s whiting fishery being so healthy these days, it wouldn’t surprise me if one lucky angler nails a 50cm model.

The author with a few solid whiting from the deep water in the North Arm. MARCH 2018

31

The State Government is investing a record $46 million, including $9 million from fishing licence fees, into its Target One Million plan to increase participation to one million anglers by 2020.

Native fish into Rocklands For the first time, Fisheries has stocked more than 215,000 Murray cod and 215,000 golden perch fingerlings into Rocklands Reservoir to complement its mixed fishery of redfin, trout and carp.

The fingerlings will take several years to reach catchable size and when they do, Rocklands is expected to provide an ideal home. The hope is that Rocklands will one day rival Lake Eildon’s native fishery!

Record bass stocking A new stocking record has been set for Australian bass with the release of more than 474,000 fingerlings into 19 rivers and lakes throughout Gippsland. This eclipses the previous record of 162,000, set in 2016.

Amongst the record-breaking list of waters were: • Blue Rock Lake

30,000

• Lake Glenmaggie

35,000

• Macalister River

43,500

• Mitchell River

110,000

• Snowy River

110,000

• Tambo River

27,500

• Thomson River

15,000

• Wonnangatta River

40,000

Learn more at www.vfa.vic.gov.au/bassstocking

Authorised by the Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne

FADS off Torquay Fish attracting devices (FADs) have been attached to the artificial reef off Torquay to improve fishing opportunities for kingfish.

The five FADs were attached in December and will remain in the water for six months, when kingfish are most active, then be removed to reduce the risk of damage during winter swells or entanglement during whale migration.

Each FAD consists of a large yellow surface buoy, and a sub-surface buoy, attached to a rope that descends 25 metres to the concrete reef module below.

Flashing lights on each FAD ensure safe navigation in low light and at night.

Apollo Bay gantry

One million trout stocked

The Colac Otway Shire has installed a new gantry at Apollo Bay to help game fishers weigh sharks and tuna up to 500 kg.

In 2017, more than one million trout and salmon were stocked, weighing 51 tonnes!

Huge tuna over 150 kg and sharks over 300 kg have been landed at Apollo Bay in recent years so the gantry is expected to get quite a work out!

Stocked waters included:

The gantry will be operated by trained local volunteers who can be telephoned to arrange its operation.

Most of these fish were yearlings grown at our Snobs Creek hatchery, near Eildon.

• Hepburn Lagoon

10,000

• Lake Purrumbete

32,500

• Lake Bullen Merri

24,900

• Lake Toolondo

16,800

• Lake Eildon

83,000

• Lake Wendouree

28,750

• Lake Hume

69,000

• Tullaroop Reservoir

53,000

For the full list of waters visit www.vfa.vic.gov.au/troutstocking2017 or check out the new searchable database online at www.vfa.vic.gov.au/database

Consistent offshore fishing PHILLIP ISLAND

Craig Edmonds

Bluefin tuna, kingfish and 3kg salmon – it sounds like a report from somewhere on the east coast but those are some of the species caught over the last couple of months just off the island.

Thresher, mako, bronze whalers, gummies, school

believe it marks the end of the season, which is far from the truth. Plenty of fish are caught all through the year and some of the better fishing conditions continue well into June.

While the weather is colder and the numbers of fish might be down, the quality is as good as any time of the year; you just need a coat and be prepared to fish a bit differently and

The girls had a great time in the Good Friday Fishing Competition last year. and blue sharks make up the shark species caught with the usual flathead, arrow squid, mackerel, yakkas, and silver whiting on the bite – along with, of course, the tackle shops’ favourite fish – ‘couta.

That’s offshore; thankfully there has been plenty to be caught in the deeper water, because the bay has had some of the most inconsistent fishing we have seen for some time. It’s not that there are no fish; it’s just that the usual times you expect to catch haven’t worked and those successful anglers have fished some very odd times of the day and night.

Easter is coming up early this year with Good Friday on 30 March. Every year it seems that once Easter has been, many

try some new spots. It’s also a great time of the year to try all those new gadgets in the boat, learn how to use your sounder to find the fish and the type of ground you are fishing on, practice your launching and retrieving and get the kids out to sharpen their skills.

Offshore has been the place to be and the flathead are continuing to be very good, although there has been the odd day with a bit more swell where they have been harder to find.

Fish the 30-40m line from the cape to the windmills.

The reports have been widespread, from cape Woolamai to the windmills and all inside the 40m line.

It is an ever-changing landscape offshore and while the recent bluefin tuna being caught seem like

something new, if you go back through the history of the area, the ‘couta boat fishers caught bluefin and there are plenty of photos around of them being landed off the rocks at Woolamai and further down the coast.

Like many species of fish, it seems more like a cycle than something new and more to do with the everchanging currents and weather conditions than anything else.

For many years, the offshore shark fishing has also been ordinary, but this year I have seen good numbers and different species. The other factor that will affect the amount of fish offshore is the food available for them, which also has a bit to do with currents and conditions.

There have been a lot of baitfish around this year with very small ‘couta, slimies and yakkas and arrow squid. Fish are no different to the rest of us – we all need to eat and the fish simply follow the food. I always say to our customers one of the best ways to have a successful offshore fishing day is to be prepared; it’s way too hard to tie rigs while rolling around in the swell. Expect the unexpected and prepare for everything.

This season has been one of the most inconsistent that we have had while in the shop for fishing reports in the bay. It started with the late winter that went well into spring, and then we had an extremely hot November. While the weather has settled and some very good conditions have turned up, the fish didn’t go the same way and continue to be as hard to find now as they were at the start of the season.

That’s not to say there haven’t been any fish; anglers have needed to think outside the box to be successful. This often means being out of bed well before the sun is up or launching after the sun goes down. Some of the best whiting reports for good numbers have been from the middle of the night. The usual night time fishing for snapper or gummies hasn’t

happened and the reports are coming from anglers fishing during the day. The day time reports that came in were from those overcast days and it seems the fish are getting that sun-smart message as well – when the sun is out, they are keeping out of it and very few reports are coming in.

What has made the inconsistent fishing a little better is the quality of the fish, especially in the case of whiting. We have seen fish in the high 40s all season and as thick as your arm.

The flathead in the bay this year have grown over the winter and good numbers and sizes have been caught with plenty of rock flathead showing up as well.

Love them or hate them (it’s a very divided conversation), it’s elephant fish time. I will admit I’m not too keen on them.

However, we are fortunate to be able to head offshore and find a mako or bag of flathead, which spoils you a bit. There are plenty of people who eat them, and they aren’t too bad if cared for in the first hour or so of catching them. Bleed, clean and get them on ice ASAP, and the experts tell me they are better not frozen. Once filleted, leave them in the fridge over night and eat them the next day.

34

MARCH 2018

There is no magic trick to catching them; simply downsize hooks on your snapper gummy snelled rigs and fish the same areas.

All the reports received over the season have come from the usual spots and nowhere has stood out. Try them all and be prepared to prospect until you find the fish. Talk to the local tackle

Three generations of the Mannix family went fishing but it was the youngest, Jack, who took the prize with this quality whiting.

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Even the youngest anglers are cashing in on the great lure fishing opportunities, and flathead are a great species practice lure casting.

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store where you are fishing because the staff will have the best and most up-todate information; spend a couple of dollars while you are there, as it all helps and we don’t want to lose too many more of these small mum-and-dad type stores.

Easter also sees our Good Friday Children’s Hospital Appeal Fishing Competition. It’s a family fishing competition where we donate all the entry fees to the Good Friday Appeal.

It’s a competition designed for the family to all fish together and have a bit of fun for the day while supporting a very worthy cause. There are some great prizes and giveaways all weekend thanks to the generous support of our sponsors and Fishing Monthly are coming on board and supporting the competition with some giveaways for us.

For more information keep an eye on our Facebook page, Jims Bait and Tackle Australia, or simply send me a message.

You can fish for just one day or for all four. There are prizes for adults, juniors and small fry, and just for entering you go into the various draws for lucky entry prizes.

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Find greater success in the warmer water LAKES ENTRANCE

Steven Pryke

With all the recent extreme heat the lake system has warmed rapidly and areas have reached 27°C+. The fishing has still been reasonably productive, but focusing on snaggy or shaded areas has been a major key to repeated success.

LAKES ENTRANCE The prawn run is truly underway, with anglers catching good numbers of king and school prawns each night. With all this food around the fish population has been well fed and most estuary predators are in the search for prawns. The whiting fishing has been a

bit tougher than in recent months, but quality fish are still around. Areas such as Baxter Island and Metung have continued to produce whiting, even throughout the busy part of the day. Anglers have mostly targeted the fish with baited paternoster rigs

fished close to the edges of the weed beds.

Due to increase in boat traffic, fresh bait has produced better results. The fish are spooky at this time of year, so baits such as mussels and fresh prawns are always deadly when it comes

Throughout Lake Tyers, bream can be seen high in the water column under timber snags.

Large minnow patterns have been deadly when twitched around fallen snags and weed beds. This bream was taken on an Atomic Jerk Minnow.

Another solid bream that climbed all over a Bassday SugarPen worked close to the structure.

to tricking the local whiting population.

Yellowtail kingfish have begun to show up in the lake and anglers are targeting these hard-fighting sportfish in areas such as Nungurner and Metung. These fish can be seen feeding on white bait and blue bait. A key to success is to hit the water early before the boat traffic starts and keep an eye out for any surface activity, as the kings are chasing schools of white and blue bait.

LAKE TYERS The lake continues to live up to its reputation, producing

large dusky flathead and bream. Anglers are catching quality fish throughout the system. Areas such as the Trident Arm and Devils Hole have continued to produce quality bream with anglers enjoying the quality surface fishing on offer in the early or late hours of the day.

Bent minnow-style lures have been productive and walk-the-dog lures work extremely well in the busy times, in a small size with a finesse approach. Through the lower lake the deep drop-offs and points have held good

numbers of dusky flathead, with anglers consistently catching 40-55cm duskies.

Anglers have mostly targeted these fish with 3-4” soft plastics in chartreuse and natural baitfish patterns.

HAVE YOU BEEN FISHING? If you have been out for a fish lately and have a great pic, please send it to stevenprykefishing@gmail. com with a short description and you could be in the next edition of Victoria & Tasmania Fishing Monthly.

Prawns are popping up again MARLO

Jim McClymont mcclymont@net-tech.com.au

The happy time of year has arrived again. The estuary is firing with plenty of prawns coming out of their nurseries and heading down towards the sand flats that run from the Marlo jetty all the way down to French Narrows. With so many prawns gathering along the sand flats, lots of

fishers and food gatherers are moving onto the shallows in the evening to gather some eating prawns for the table and smaller ones for bait.

As I have mentioned before with gathering on the sand flats, get ready to run to the ocean on the right tide, as there are plenty of flathead lurking in the shallows and eating their fill of prawns.

Anglers wading in knee-deep water on the sand flats and spinning with soft plastics are capturing plenty of good-

size dusky flathead.

Bream have come into the estuary in big schools and have moved through the whole system. Local angler Peter Ryzak went out fishing with his 8-year-old grandson Andrew Thomas and son Niall. They had a wonderful surprise when Andrew caught and landed a huge bream measuring 43cm fishing with a running sinker and a peeled prawn.

The surf beaches are fishing well as usual with plenty of salmon and tailor,

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flathead and gummy sharks on the chew. Fishing offshore is also going well with plenty of flathead, squid, barracouta, octopus, pinkie snapper, salmon, morwong, school and gummy sharks on the chew. Anglers have reported big schools of kingfish moving along the coast between Marlo Reef and Tamboon Reef; so far anglers have only been getting kings around 65cm and a bit bigger. In time fish over a metre will be a prolific catch on both reefs.

The local game fishing club had their monthly competition recently targeting kingfish. Anglers found it a bit hard to weigh in decently sized kingfish.

The winner Kirk Lawrence had a 66cm king and just beat John Nuttle’s 65cm king. The junior winner was Jake Lawrence with a goodsize gummy shark. This month’s notable catch was local angler Mick Morrison who landed a bronze whaler measuring over 10ft fishing offshore from his jet ski – a pretty good angling feat.

Andrew Thompson with his prize 43cm bream.

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MARCH 2018

Brett Geddes b.geddes@bigpond.com

From now right through to the end of June is the prime fishing time for the whole Gippsland Lakes and all the rivers feeding it. This is the month you can confidently target every fish that swims within this huge system including flounder, bream, bass, prawns, estuary perch, tailor, trevally, crabs, pinkie snapper, flathead, whiting, eels, mullet, kingfish, trout and even the feral carp or redfin. I’m going to concentrate on just two of those species and I’ll start with some kingfish captures.

THE KINGIES ARE IN TOWN For the last four years kingfish have been teasing so many anglers. Not a lot of people even know that the Gippy Lakes are also home to these prized sport fish. They show up each summer between Nungurner and Paynesville, but not in huge numbers and so they frustrate us all.

They seem to roam around in small schools and are very mobile. Finding them is the big problem, but when they bust up on tailor or mullet they give themselves up. Casting to a pack of feeding fish is still no guarantee, because we have all found these kingfish so infuriating to catch. They happily follow lures right to the boat and then you watch 10-20 big fish turn away just as you drop your jaw, admiring their size and number.

Local angler Justin Dingwall proved that they can be caught with enduring perseverance and big soft plastics. For over two years now Justin has chased these big kingies from Lakes Entrance right up to Paynesville. Like most of us he has seen a few lucky anglers land one or two or briefly hook a couple before they escaped. So recently he had heard of one or two big kings being caught and decided

It’s prime time now for surface bream action and searching the shallows with bent minnowstyle lures should score you plenty. to yet again try his luck.

He sent me pictures early in his session as he proudly held up a modest 45cm kingfish and declared his battle with these fish finally won.

He was overjoyed with finally getting one and didn’t expect to catch another. That’s how tough these Gippy Lakes fish can be and even a small kingy is like a trophy catch. Four hours later Justin was over the moon because he had hooked seven more but these kingfish were a lot bigger. He got four of those seven fish into his net with his biggest specimen going a very nice 74cm.

‘Dinga’ said he was fishing out of a kayak and using a large soft plastic lure.

Only those who have tried catching these local kings know just what an incredible effort Justin’s reward has been.

So over the next few days we all got motivated to try and score a kingy.

Cohen Jackson eventually hooked one only to have it bust him off around a marker buoy. Bugger! Myself and Bryan Lazarro headed out and we sounded up a lot of big fish. After hours and hours of throwing every lure in our possession, we had no joy.

We did get nice flathead, pinkie snapper and a luderick, but no kingfish action. We then trolled 100mm Rapala

Some river bass might be small in size but they are all big on aggression! Large spinnerbait lures will trick fish of all sizes.

XRap lures around and started getting solid hits. Our excitement grew. The first fish started coming in but it wasn’t what we expected – tailor of all sizes were smashing the large lures. We will return for another battle soon.

BASS IN ALL STREAMS Just in case you’ve been firmly wedged under a rock for the last few years, here’s a quick bass update. Up until 2017 more than a million bass had been stocked throughout Gippsland. Even better news is just a few weeks ago another 450,000 bass were added to that imposing total, including 110,000 into the Mitchell and over 70,000 into the Tambo, Macalister and Thomson rivers.

That’s a grand total of 1.5 million bass poured into this area and you can appreciate how incredible the fishing will be for many years to come.

Exciting times are ahead.

Some of those early stocked bass are now over 40cm with plenty of 36-38cm fish.

Right now reports are coming in daily about bass taking a whole variety of lures in the above-mentioned streams that feed into the Gippy Lakes.

In years to come we will find that big bass will push right up into the upper limits of all these streams. Last year I heard of bass being caught way up in the Crooked River (a tributary of the Mitchell) and a very long way from where they were released. To pursue bass during the day, use sinking soft plastics around the snags or close to the shaded deep edges.

Spinnerbaits or deep diving hardbodies are also working a treat and beetle spins are catching plenty as well. Early morning and well into the night is the time to try surface lures like bent minnow-style lures, poppers and cicadas.

Most of the stocked bass are 28-38cm and you will also catch tiny bass around 20cm because they are so aggressive.

The aged resident natural bass population of fish over 20 or 30+ years old, can and will often exceed 50cm. Don’t fish with light gear!

Mornings and evenings turn up some good fish BEMM RIVER

Robyn Sturgess

The summer holiday period has positively proved to be an astounding fishing time with amateur anglers having some of the best quality fishing seen in this area for some time.

Recently the entrance remained closed, but waves were breaking over at high

tide. The channel and the area around the Mahoganies has been producing quality bream first thing in the morning and later in the evening on frozen prawns.

Anglers on the water by daylight have returned bagged out by 10.30am.

Reports are that there are nice-size prawns at the entrance. The surf beaches are a popular location on the warm, balmy evenings

to pick up gummy sharks along with salmon and tailor.

The flathead are about in the channel along the sandy flats and have been caught mainly on soft plastics. Anglers are reporting that most of them need to be thrown back as they are over 55cm.

Just remember to make sure your fishing licence is up-to-date and that your boat and safety gear is in good working order. Abide

by regulations, as authorities visit on a regular basis to ensure your safety on the water.

• For on the spot and up to date fishing reports check out Robyn’s website: www. bemmaccommodation.com. au or ‘like’ us on Facebook – Bemm River Holiday Accommodation Phone: (03) 5158 4233/Mob. 0427 584 233 Email: bemmaccomm@ bigpond.com.

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Kingfish are a hot topic MCLOUGHLINS

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allwaysangling@bigpond.com

We’ve had a great year of fishing so far. It’s autumn now and we enjoyed those typical summer strong winds, didn’t we? In all seriousness, recently it was actually pretty damn good and there have been plenty of days when we could all get offshore for a fish.

The first thing I’m going to talk about is the kingfish, and what a fishery we have. We have legitimate 1m+ kingies in good numbers, and some that almost seem unlandable with anglers getting reefed on 24kg.

The fish have been caught on multiple methods from trolling skirted lures, trolling live squid and slimy mackerel to jigging and casting stickbaits.

With all the kingfish offshore from corner inlet and Port Albert, I’m just waiting for a bluefin tuna report. We have all seen the amount being caught out of Western Port

and Port Phillip; it’s only a matter of time until someone brings one in to the Welshpool Boat Ramp.

Enough of the kingies, the gummy sharks are in good numbers offshore from McLoughlins and Manns Beach, around Whale Bay and out the front of Corner Inlet, with the 20m line producing plenty. There are some good ones further around closer to McLoughlins in 15-21m as well. There are stacks of bait around at the moment out wide as well, so if you need livies, just drop down a berley bomb and drift and you will have slimy mackerel coming from far and wide.

Inside Port Albert the pinkies are going much better and there have been good numbers of pinkies to 45cm being caught on light paternoster rigs. The only disappointing thing about the fishing lately is the whiting season. It’s pretty dismal with most anglers only managing up to half a dozen fish – not many are getting their bag

limit. The one saving grace is that the whiting that are being caught are big. Port Albert is the better inlet to be guaranteed a few whiting and the areas around the basket beacon and snake channel are producing half decent numbers now.

McLoughlins Beach and Manns Beach are also producing a few whiting as well. Bass yabbies have definitely been the best baits for the ‘ting, but pipis and squid are getting a few as well. Lastly we have a prawn season happening again, which is great to see as we had none last year.

South Gippy is producing some good-sized prawns and the Gippy Lakes are producing stacks of bait-sized prawns and some really big eaters as well.

This is only going to get better with each full moon.

• For more information, contact Will at Allways Angling in Traralgon on 5174 8544. You will get expert advice and great deals on fishing bait and tackle.

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41

Good action expected for autumn months EDEN

Kevin Gleed captainkev@wildernessfishingtours.com

After a busy period the town has quietened right down. Easter will see more visitors to the area, then we head into the quiet time of the year.

When the weather has allowed boats to get out wide along the shelf, striped

tuna have been caught with good action on striped marlin. The fish have been found hanging around bait balls. Working these areas has resulted in some good fishing. Recent big seas have seen fewer chances for boats to head out but the action should still be there over the coming months.

Sand and tiger flathead have been biting well. Over the past month anglers were

catching limits of these great eating fish in no time at all. Around the local reefs very little action has been had on the kingfish, despite there being plenty of baitfish around. Snapper and morwong are being caught along the gravelly edges of the inshore reefs.

The local beaches have had good numbers of salmon, with fish caught on both lures and bait. The

recent big seas have stirred things up creating plenty of good gutters. Good numbers of sand whiting and yellowfin bream are also being caught and with the water temperature around 21°C the fishing for these species should remain good for some time yet.

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There have been some good catches of big tiger flathead coming in from out wide. These fish are in top condition and are great eating. Closer to shore sand flathead are being caught but they are not as reliable as the tiger flathead. Some good gummy sharks are also being caught. Out around Gabo Island is a good spot to try.

Out wide there has been little to report with striped tuna about and a striped marlin also landed by one lucky angler.

Anglers dropping baits down to depths of 450m have been landing some blue-eye trevalla. This is done with the aid of electric reels. The past month has seen only a few kingfish landed, with anglers hoping things will improve over the coming months.

Along the beaches, sand whiting and yellowfin bream are being caught along with a few decent sized sand flathead. The salmon are not about in the numbers they were and they will most probably turn up once the water starts to cool. Quarry Beach has seen a few sevengill sharks caught; anglers fishing into the night around the high tides have had some success.

The Betka River and the main inlet at Mallacoota are both shut to the sea and for the first time in years they are both full of prawns. Using a dip net, it takes no time at

all to get yourself a kilo of sweet tasting prawns. The flathead fishing in the main lake has been excellent, with plenty of good-sized eating fish about and the odd bigger fish turning up quite regularly. Fresh local prawn and prawn imitation soft plastic lures have been catching plenty of fish.

Good numbers of quality flounder are also about along with silver trevally. Once again soft plastic lures are catching their share of fish.

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Yellowfin bream are about in the bottom lake in fewer numbers than in years past; with the lake closed they can’t come and go as they have done before. Good numbers of black bream are around the margins of both the top and bottom lakes with a variety of lures catching fish. Anglers fishing with bait have done well using prawns. The key to success has been to keep moving until fish are found.

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have been caught towards the entrance areas of the rivers and lakes.

With the warm weather bass are being caught from the freshwater pools. Surface lures work well. If you are having trouble catching your first bass, try fishing around dawn and dusk with a surface lure. If there is a fish there, you will soon find out.

Prawns and imitations MALLACOOTA

Chris Roorda with a flathead caught on a Gene Larew Baby HooDaddy Lure – it’s a great lure when the fish are chasing prawns.

catching some great fish.

The Eden area has some great rock fishing locations with good gutters and washes. Luderick, drummer, bream and groper are all available.

The local estuaries have all been fishing well, with dusky flathead still taking a variety of lures. Sand whiting and yellowfin bream

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Darren Redman djsxstreamfishing@bigpond.com

All along the coast of NSW it is marlin time, with these fish patrolling the many bait schools that come close to shore at this time of year allowing anglers easy access to them.

Whether you are on a small trailer boat or a luxurious fly bridge cruiser, the excitement in having raised a fish and having read all the signs to find it is the passion in hunting marlin. You need to look for some obvious points like water temperatures, which are perfect lately around 22-24°C, water that rich cobalt blue colour, places where baitfish are congregating, the obvious signs of predators like marlin themselves chasing bait, dolphins or seals and, of course, bird life.

Gannets are especially obvious when diving on bait, however look for them high in the sky where they may be figure-eighting over one particular area. This often means they are watching bait schools down deep out of their range to dive and they will wait until they come within range of the surface. For the

marlin hunter, this is a sign to work the area over with your electronic devices like sounders to locate the bait schools and the predators that follow.

Stripes are the most dominant recently, with the odd good blue or black thrown in. The areas that are producing marlin are the Twelve-Mile Reef some 8.5 miles southeast of Bermagui, along the edge of the Continental Shelf through to the Kink area southeast of Montague Island, north of Montague around Tuross Canyons or – with a good spread of skirted lures – try wider out towards the Sea

Mount east of Montague where that elusive big blue may be hanging out. If you only have a small boat, don’t despair, as there have been some small blacks hanging around the inshore reefs and providing some light tackle action.

The beauty of March besides the marlin being on the chew is just about everything else is too, especially the kingfish at Montague Island.

There has been fantastic fishing there all summer and it doesn’t look like it’s about to change. Mixed in with the kingfish are bonito. While on the surrounding reefs there are some nice snapper, plenty of

morwong and if you anchor to berley on the reefs to the south, you will have plenty of fun with silver trevally up to 2kg on light tackle.

That reef activity filters down south of Bermagui with most of them holding similar species already mentioned.

On the way, try trolling a few lures close to shore as those kingfish, bonito and salmon have been found all the way from Bermagui entrance through to Goalen Head. Out wide more anglers are now fishing the deep for species like blue-eye trevalla, hapuka, ling, dory, gemfish and many more with great success. This

There have been some cracking whiting this season.

Bream have been caught over the flats recently. Check out how shallow the water is in the background. is usually done in 500-800m of water with electronic reels.

The beach and rocks are holding their own where some of those kingfish, bonnies and salmon pass within reach for those tossing a lure, while those using bait targeting small fish like drummer, bream, groper or trevally are also fairing well. The beaches have suffered a little with few reasonable gutters at present; they’re mostly small, but that’s good news for those wishing to chase whiting, bream or mullet – there are plenty of them and beach worms are producing best.

The highlight at this time of year is definitely the estuaries and lake systems.

They have been full of prawns this season where fish stocks

have gorged themselves and are still eating; this has produced some excellent lure fishing in Wallaga Lake where flathead have been plentiful.

Not to be outdone, those fishing bait have also faired well east of the bridge using nippers or berleying with tuna for bream.

In the Bermagui River, all has been well on both accounts with plenty of action.

All species are on the chew throughout the river.

Time is running short as we go into autumn and I suspect there are only a couple of months left to take advantage of the great bass fishing Brogo Dam has to offer at present. There are plenty of fish on the chew and some big ones at that.

MARCH 2018

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Merimbula land-based fishing looks good MERIMBULA

Stuart Hindson stuart@ausfishing.com.au

The weather has been less than ideal with the continual northeasterlies that this time of year brings, but when they have abated the fishing has been exceptional, especially off the rocks.

Tura Head just north of Merimbula is this area’s LBG hotspot with kingfish, tuna, salmon and bonito all firing at times. Over recent years there have been some very big kingfish coming from this headland and over

recent weeks they have made a welcome return. I know of several fish in the 10-12kg bracket caught and quite a few more lost – some a lot bigger. The fish have responded well to live bait though larger chrome lures in the 60-80g mark have also worked.

What’s great though is between king bites there is ample fun to be had with bonito and big salmon to 3-4kg. On the right tackle they are great fun and in awesome numbers lately. I can’t see that changing any time soon, as long as the warm water currents hang close to shore. I’d be fishing

early mornings before the wind gets up because the ledge faces northeast and can

pretty good fishing. I won’t disclose the actual gutter they were fishing but the

look that good. Look at fishing 2-3 days before the full moon on the flooding

A great double header of Merimbula channel bream caught on plastics.

It wasn’t long before this 100kg striped marlin was tagged and released.

become quite tricky to fish in anything over 15 knots.

On the beaches the bream fishing has really picked up over the last few weeks. I know of several anglers using beach worms and getting their bags inside a few hours, which is

beaches just north of Tura have been exceptional.

With the bream there are a few solid whiting to add to the bag, and the odd tailor.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see a few mulloway and gummies coming from this same beach – the gutters

tide. Beach worms and fresh tailor fillets are the gun baits.

In the estuaries both Pambula and Merimbula continue to shine. Both systems are fishing well for flathead, bream, whiting and luderick. The flatties

have really fired up with the warmer water with a good feed available on most outings. The fish are solid models around the 50cm mark with the odd bigger female making her presence felt. Most flatties are falling to soft plastics, with live poddy mullet and blades catching their fair share too.

With the warm water the surface fishing has been excellent for bream and whiting; Merimbula is a standout area. I know of a few bream upwards of 43cm being caught lately around the racks, with whiting to 42cm too. At these sizes on light gelspun in hard country, they are great fish to land with hours of endless fun to be had.

If artificials aren’t for you, I’d be concentrating in the channels below the bridge with fresh tuna cubes or Bass yabbies the preferred baits. You will catch some nice bream, whiting and trevally around the boat moorings. The flooding tide is best.

Offshore when the weather has allowed, those after a feed of sand flathead have been having no problems getting it. The To page 45

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NSW South Coast

Exceptional offshore fishing expected this month NAROOMA

Stuart Hindson stuart@ausfishing.com.au

It’s been a pretty windy last month along this part of the coast, but when the weather has allowed, some exceptional fishing offshore has been encountered.

Montague Island’s kingfish population has woken up with most days producing solid models. Kings to 6-7kg have played the game, with most crews getting amongst them. While anglers using live bait have fared best, some days using jigs has out-fished the bait guys three to one.

When this has happened you tend to get a lot more smaller fish, but you will also get the bigger fish at times.

Jigging isn’t for everyone, as different tackle is required, but it’s a stack of fun and has been a proven method for donkey’s years. Most of the action is on the western side

from the same areas. Those targeting the larger pelagic prey like marlin have done okay – not quite as well as last month, but that will change with better conditions.

In saying that most crews are getting a shot or two per day, so it’s still definitely worth a look. Striped marlin has been the predominant species but there is still the odd solid blue marlin patrolling the shelf line with a 193kg fish caught last month – a nice fish in anyone’s books. Interestingly a few other more northern species are being hooked. They’re not always caught, but they have been seen, which just proves how good the water is.

There have been wahoo, short-billed spearfish and a lone report of a sailfish hooked and lost. If that’s true, it’s a rare thing to occur this far south. I do believe it though, as the water is good enough in temperature and colour for this to happen.

ganged pilchards catching plenty. This month may see some mackerel tuna turn up; the golf course rocks in town and Mystery Bay to the south are the pick of spots to fish.

I’d be using live baits like yellowtail or slimy mackerel.

Both spots hold a stack of bait. With a little berley too you’ll have all the bait you require.

If the pelagics aren’t your scene, you should be able to get a feed of luderick. The southern breakwall at the entrance has been a hotspot.

Cabbage is the gun bait. A few locals have done well there with some solid bream being caught on tuna strips, too. Again, berley is the key for more consistent results.

On the beaches it’s business as usual with salmon in good numbers. Most beaches are holding fish.

Anglers casting chromed lures through the suds are having a load of fun, especially on the lighter tackle. If you’re using

A big bream prior to release. of the island, with the Fowl House Reef a great place to start. You will quite often see the fish on the surface too, so have a popper or big stickbait presentation ready to cast.

If you’re after a feed of bottom fish then you’re in luck. The flatties have been thick for weeks now and I can’t see this changing anytime soon. The 35-40m line straight off Dalmeny has been excellent with the odd gummy shark coming From page 44

sandies are thick in some areas with double headers the norm. I talked to an older local yesterday about the flatties and he said it was like the old times. By that I guess it’s pretty damn good fishing!

The fish have been better in the deeper water over the past few weeks with 37-42m being the better depth to try.

Further south off Mallacoota in Victoria they are having nearly the best run of marlin ever seen. That’s due to the warmer currents pushing further south, so it’s like a big cycle coming from the north. It will be interesting to see what the next month will produce from our northern pelagic cousins.

The rocks continue to fish well for salmon, bonito and smaller kingfish with chromed slice lures and

bait, a paternoster rig will work. Bluebait and pilchards are the preferred baits.

There have been good reports of bream and whiting coming from both Brou and Blackfellows Beach to the north of Narooma with live beachworms and pipis being ideal baits. Don’t be surprised to see some solid mulloway come from Blackfellows Beach too, as there’s a cracking good gutter on the southern side that’s deep.

There have been some quality gummy sharks to 9kg showing up for anglers targeting the flats, which is great to see. Further offshore the game crews are still getting striped marlin, but it doesn’t seem as good as over the last few weeks.

The really good water has pushed further south. When it eddies back up it should fire again.

Trolling has certainly

been better recently with bait being a little harder to find, but as we know it doesn’t take much to fire up the beaks again. With a little more current and bait it’s all systems go again. What has picked up is the smaller yellowfin tuna getting caught. I know of several fish in the 25-30kg bracket caught while trolling smaller 8-10” pushers for marlin – not a bad backup, I reckon.

Mulloway always bring the smiles to the anglers.

With this month’s full moon it just might be worth a look.

There have been some solid mulloway in Tuross Lake, so I’d say they are entering the system from these gutters using it as a base to feed.

I’d be using big bunches of live beach worms for bait – mulloway can’t resist them.

Up at Tuross, apart from the flatties, there have been plenty of small mulloway throughout the system. I know a few switched on anglers getting four and five in a session, which is great to see.

Luckily the majority of fish are being released with the average size around 55-65cm – small soapies, but still good fun. There has been the odd better mulloway to 1m caught too, so there are some big fish in there. These have mainly been caught at night using fresh squid as bait.

If you’re after a feed, bream and whiting have been excellent after dark towards the entrance on yabbies and squirt worms. Some of the whiting are elbow-slappers to 45cm and seem more like a salmon than a whiting.

It’s great to see these bigger fish here. They are great sport and awesome on the plate. Anglers targeting them on surface lures are doing okay with the river section certainly fishing better.

There are some solid bream on the flats too with the odd decent flathead. Upstream

bass and EPs have been good, especially in the afternoons on surface plugs. Some of the bass are nudging 45-46cm.

These are solid models and definitely a release option only.

Surface cicada walkers have worked well on late afternoons with a few fish caught on spinnerbaits too.

In Wagonga Inlet things have picked up considerably after being a little slow with the holiday traffic. The main basin

has loads of bait with the predators nearby. You can expect tailor, mulloway and some donkey-sized flathead under the bait schools. Early mornings are certainly the gun time to fish. The channels below the bridge are also fishing well for trevally, bream, flounder and flathead with bait anglers getting plenty. Live nippers and worms have been the better baits to use.

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WHAT’S NEW FISHING NEW ASTRO VIBE COLOURS

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Strike Pro’s very successful Astro Vibe 45 has been a standout in the Hobie Bream series and Vic Bream Classic series, and has helped anglers win a number of events.

Now two new fish-catching colours have been added to the range: 612E and 793E. Like the other colours in the Astro Vibe range, the new colours incorporate a polycarbonate belly with small inbuilt rattles for added sound, which can be handy when the water is slightly discoloured.

The Astro Vibe’s construction also allows for a transparent finish to be achieved in a metal blade, and the belly section is enhanced with UV for added attraction and effectiveness.

The Astro Vibe 45 is 4.5cm long, weighs 9.6g and comes fitted with quality hooks.

It’s deadly on bream, bass, estuary perch, yellowbelly, mulloway, flathead and redfin, just to mention a few. www.jurofishing.com

ZMAN 2.75” FINESSE 2 FROGZ

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BONE DASH 90S

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The Bone Dash 90S is a dual function sinking pencil and vibe, and is the first lure produced by legendary rod maker Bone Lim. This dual-function, sinking pencil bait flutters on the fall and slides on the retrieve, giving anglers options like never before. By attaching the line to the front eyelet, the Dash 90S will work like a sinking pencil bait, fluttering on the fall with a side-to-side glide on a straight retrieve. Attaching your lure on the top eyelet will enable the vibe mode, giving the Dash 90S a tight wobble on a straight retrieve. This tie-off position also creates less resistance through the water while still maintaining the fluttering sink.

The Bone Dash 90S measures 90mm long, weighs 33g and comes in 10 colours. Bone recommends anglers fish these lures with the Bone Voyage series rods such as the BVC774H, BVC684XH, BVC704XH or the BVS704XH. www.wilsonfishing.com

ZMan’s bite-size 2.75” Finesse FrogZ features a realistic frog profile and twin paddle feet that create noise, water movement and a bubble trail that predators can’t resist.

Rig it for surface fishing on a TT 2/0 ChinlockZ or ChinlockZ Finesse hook, hold the rod tip up and wind the Finesse FrogZ until you hit the magic speed where the feet are bubbling and it’s calling predators to attack.

Alternatively you can rig the Finesse FrogZ on a TT 2/0 SnakelockZ or ChinlockZ SWS to fish weedless through cover, or even on a standard HeadlockZ or DemonZ jighead for subsurface fishing.

A bottom hook slot and deep top hook pocket protect the hook from fouling or snagging when weedless rigging, and the softness and flexibility of the ZMan 10X Tough ElaZtech ensures the plastic clears on the strike, exposing the hook and pinning the fish.

Deadly on bass, saratoga, mangrove jack, barra and more, this little frog is also sure to get eaten by a few surprises in both the fresh and salt water. It’s available in six colours, with four per pack.

Price: SRP $10.95 www.zman.com.au

Pumping worms and yabbies is a great way to get the freshest of fresh bait for your day’s fishing. Having the right tool to get the job done is an important step to success and one that needs careful consideration.

The Wilson Big Willy Bait Pump gives users an extra long 39” shaft meaning you do not have to bend so far down when pumping. This is a great asset for those who want to collect bait comfortably and easily.

Stainless steel and brass construction mean that this pump will go the distance, giving you years of faithful service and opening up your fishing options.

Available at all leading tackle stores, the Big Willy will become a vital part of any bait collection trip. For more information on this and other bait collecting products from Wilson’s, visit the Wilson Fishing website. You can also catch up with the latest news, catch photos and videos at www.facebook.com/LWilsonAndCo. www.wilsonfishing.com.au

BERKLEY FIRELINE ULTRA 8

PELICAN IPHONE CASE

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Berkley Fireline Ultra 8 delivers a line that is incredibly strong and abrasion-resistant yet long casting and user friendly, resisting wind knots like never before. Optimised for spin reels, Fireline Ultra 8 is ideal for all light to medium lure fishing applications.

The unique fusing process using heat to molecularly bind thousands of Dyneema fibres gives Fireline Ultra 8 more body than regular braids. The body and heft of Fireline Ultra 8 delivers unique handling properties and superb manageability. More tolerant of line twist than traditional soft braids, Fireline Ultra 8 performs exceptionally well on spinning reels meaning less loose loops and less wind knots on the water.

The 8 strand fusing process also gives Fireline Ultra 8 several significant advantages.

It is four times more abrasion resistant than original Fireline, and is rounder and smoother, casting 10% further than traditional Fireline.

Fireline Ultra 8 retains superb knot strength and near zero stretch, delivering a telegraphic feel for structure and strikes. The unique fusing process produces a round profile that resists digging into the spool under heavy loads, and never separates like many standard braids.

Fireline Ultra 8 is available in crystal, flame

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MARCH 2018

PRODUCT GUIDE

BIG WILLY BAIT PUMP

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With an IP68 waterproof rating, the Pelican Marine case shields your smartphone from the harshest elements that mother nature can throw at you.

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The case has been uniquely constructed of impact absorbing materials, like the ultra-tough elastomer internals and a rigid polycarbonate outer shell, with a soft-touch over-mould incorporated into the design for an easy hold that also reduces the risk of the device sliding off surfaces.

Like all Pelican protective equipment, the ruggedised Marine case has been tested to military specifications and is guaranteed to survive multiple drops. The IP68 waterproof protection rating enables your smartphone to stay submerged under water at a depth of up to 1.5m for up to 30 minutes.

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visit www.tacklejunkie.fish for the latest tackle news - AS IT HAPPENS!

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PRODUCT GUIDE

WHAT’S NEW FISHING X-RAP MAGNUM XPLODE

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The over-engineered X-Rap Magnum Xplode combines a heavy through-wire construction with a thick-walled ABS body, giving it Rapala’s Magnum level of strength to absorb the most vicious strikes.

Featuring 3D holographic eyes and internal foil, it is explosive and loud. Low positioned tow points pull the popper downwards, keeping the X-Rap Magnum Xplode stable in all weather conditions, while its deep cupped face generates a thunderous service explosion with each sweep of your rod. The long-casting, rear-weighted X-Rap Magnum Xplode rests tail down, perfectly positioning the 5/0 VMC 75 series 6X Tropic Spark Point trebles, which are connected to 250lb split rings.

Available in eight fish-catching colours, the lure weighs 140g and is 17cm in length.

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VANFOOK JWS-50 ASSIST HOOK

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The JWS-50 wire assist hook from Vanfook is a single assist hook designed to battle fish with sharp teeth, such as mackerel. You can use these assist hooks when jigging or on stickbaits and poppers.

Fitted with standard wire JH-10 and JH-30 hooks, Vanfook JWS-50 assist hooks have excellent fish-holding strength and superb hooking penetration. The assist line is a strong, flexible and difficult to kink hybrid wire (200lb) which is further protected with a transparent shrink tube.

Made in Japan, Vanfook JWS-50 assist hooks are available in sizes 1/0 to 6/0 with three assists per pack. For more information on this and other hooks in the Vanfook range, check out the EJ Todd website. You can also find more info, news and catch photos on the EJ Todd Facebook page. www.ejtodd.com.au

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SHIMANO OCEA JIGGER RODS

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Jig-eating fish are usually at the nasty end of the spectrum, and the Japanese domestic market Ocea Jiggers have the power and design features to keep the biggest of them away from trouble, and heading towards the boat.

Built on Shimano’s exclusive Spiral X and High Power blanks, Ocea Jiggers range in length from 1.88m to 1.91m, so they’re all one piece, which makes them a delight to fish with.

Depending on the target species and the jigging technique required to entice them, the Ocea Jigger line-up has spin rods for slow jigging for demersals, right through to overheads that are ideal when targeting deepwater species like kingfish, samsonfish and tropical muscle like dogtooth tuna.

Custom Shimano Ci4+ reel seats and comfortable EVA grips mean the high intensity fights these rods will be a part of ensures the angler’s comfort for the duration of the fight. The guides are Fuji Titanium frames with SiC inserts. For the full list of specs visit the Shimano Australia website. www.shimanofish.com.au

EUREKA TORPEDO AND TROLL DOLL

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DAIWA LEGALIS LT

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JIGPARA AND ZOC HOOKS

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Eureka Lures Australia has released an impressive range of pre-rigged small game lures that will be effective on small pelagic species.

The Eureka Torpedo lures are a classic bullet shaped lure that will work in most sea conditions. They feature double feathers with an outer skirt and all come pre-rigged with quality nylon leaders, crimps and a Stainless Steel single hook and are available in four colours suitable for tuna, mahimahi, mackerel and albacore.

The Eureka Troll Dolls are professionally prerigged with a quality double hook, monofilament trace and are available in five proven colours.

Troll Dolls are a great high speed lure suited for tuna, albacore, mackerel, kingfish, salmon and tailor.

To browse the full range of Eureka game lures, visit the Juro website. You can also see all the latest news and photos from Eureka distributor Juro OzPro at www.facebook.com/ JuroOzProTackle. www.jurofishing.com

The Legalis LT is one of the latest generation of reels based on Daiwa’s LT or Light Tough concept – lighter, stronger and more compact than ever before. It also incorporates Daiwa’s innovative technologies such as Tough Digigear, ATD, Air Rotor and Airbail, making it one of Daiwa’s most technically advanced budget reels that delivers on both price and performance.

Key features include: LT Concept (suits the new generation of PE lines for higher line and drag capacity, stronger gearing, improved handling and increased performance); Tough Digigear (50% stronger than previous Digigear II); Airspool ABS (up to 30% lighter than previous generations, and has a redesigned spool lip improving overall castability); ATD drag system (reduced start-up inertia protects delicate and thin lines from aggressive strikes); Air Bail (maximum rigidity and strength with minimum weight, with a protrusion-free design mitigating line tangles during the retrieve); Air Rotor (reduces weight, stress and flexing, while enhancing transmission of vibration and allowing the rotor to spin with perfect balance); Twistbuster (tapered line roller offsets line twist and greatly improves line management). www.daiwafishing.com.au

Majorcraft has introduced a new range of lead and tungsten jigging lures — 185 versions of Japan’s number 1 saltwater lures.

First up are the Vertical Short and Vertical Long Jigparas. Designed with a centre balance and asymmetric body, these have a classic broad slide action, perfect for mechanical jigging for high speed species and big predators.

The Tungsten lure is denser and smaller than lead to create less water resistance and sink faster, for a quick cast and catch.

The Micro is 3-10g and designed for the smaller estuary and freshwater species.

The Vertical Slow Pitch and Slow Pitch fluttering jigs are designed for slow pitch angling. Their slow dancing action means they stay in the strike zone for longer, bringing in shut down or slower fish.

Majorcraft has also released 45 variations of the custom coated assist hooks that come in a vast range of sizes and drop lengths. They all have a premium epoxy Z-Hard coating, which keeps the fish on the hook. www.majorcraft.com.au

Please email contributions to: nicole@fishingmonthly.com.au MARCH 2018

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WHAT’S NEW FISHING DUO D-SQUID 95

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One of the most advanced squid jigs in the world is now available here in Australia. The DUO D-Squid eliminates the traditional ‘feather wing’, which causes drag. Removing these wings, along with internalizing the weight in the body, means the D-Squid reaches the bottom at a speedy rate and allows a light yet sharp darting action in the deep zone.

In additiona to this, the D-Squid has a body shape which allows the lure to maintain an ideal body position after the darting action.

This results in the increase of bites and eliminates the annoying problem of the hook catching the line.

There are two body sizes, 95mm (21g) and 105mm (27g). The 95mm and the 105mm will show its true potential at 15m+ and 20m+ respectively.

Another great thing about the D-Squid is the colour line-up; you can select from a wide range of proven colours depending on the field conditions and activeness of the squid.

With the D-squid, you will easily be able to reach those deep zones and in fast flowing currents never fished before.

Price: SRP $19.99 www.duo-australia.com.au

MAZZY SLIDE BOMBER

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The all-new Mazzy Slide Bomber from Big Yella Time is here. It took many hours of design to get this lure doing exactly what was intended, along with extensive field testing of different prototypes, and now anglers can finally get their hands on some.

The Slide Bomber measures 100mm and 40g, and this tall-bodied lure is designed to swim in wide S-curves. By changing your retrieve speeds with a start-stop action, the lure’s swimming action can be increased dramatically. The Slide bomber can be retrieved at super slow speeds but also does not mind pace either. It has a very slow sink, and this action is dynamite on large fish. It gives these wary and cunning fish the urge to attack.

So whether you want to target Murray cod in the fresh or mulloway, jacks and flathead in the salt, the Mazzy Slide Bomber has you covered.

Price: SRP: $27.95 www.bigyellatime.com

PRODUCT GUIDE

visit the Samaki website. You can also like them on Facebook and Instagram, where you’ll see the latest catch photos and new releases. www.samaki.com.au

SAMAKI RED SNAPPER SHIRT

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Samaki’s new Red Snapper shirt is striking and full of colour. It features hungry snapper in a baitfish-filled rockery, chasing down a Samaki Boombait.

This shirt is made from lightweight fabric that features UPF50+ technology, providing the highest level of protection against the harsh sun. The soft touch, 100% polyester material is comfortable on the body and has the added feature of being breathable, keeping you cool and dry.

Samaki designs are brought to you

by Australian anglers who love to design Australian species. Red Snapper shirts are available in adult, youth and kids sizes, ranging from a size 2 through to a 3XL, allowing the whole family to get in on the action and out onto the water.

For more information, including the location of your nearest stockist, visit the Samaki website or like them on Facebook and Instagram.

Price: SRP$59.95 (adults), $49.95 (kids) www.samaki.com.au

SWIM BAITS AUSTRALIA

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From the fish mad brains that bought you the Shads Lures range, Swim Baits Australia are brand new swag of lures that started hitting shelves and catching big fish in 2017.

These high quality timber swimbaits and glidebaits can be found in sizes from 100mm right through to a mammoth 230mm, and they are bound to get the strike in both rivers and dams. All models are fitted with strong hardware and are available in a great range of colours. Not only will they get the bite, they’re also strong enough to hold on to some of the giants who are eating them.

For more information, up-to-date news and recent catch photos, look up Swim Baits Australia on Facebook to see what all the fuss is about. w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / S w i m - B a i t s Australia

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NEW 9CM SAMAKI MAGNETIC 18 SQUIDLY RIGS 15 RELEASE CLIP Black Magic’s range of Squidly rigs have Samaki is expanding further into the practical tooling and accessory market with the launch of the Magnetic Release Clip.

The Samaki Magnetic Release clip allows you to access any item you want with ease.

The quick release system is made of an aviation-grade aluminium magnet, which is strong and durable. With a maximum weight capacity of 3.5kg, it also features a high strength carabiner. these are so handy you’ll want more than one by your side. Ranging in three awesome colours black, red and cobalt, they are in stores now.

The Samaki accessory range also includes fish grips, pliers (long-nose, split ring and multitool) and line spoolers. For more information, including the location of your nearest stockist, 48

MARCH 2018

proven to be very effective on deepwater denizens off the shelf, and on big snapper as well. Now a smaller size squid (9cm) has been added to offer anglers a wider range of species to target with this popular rig.

Great for both casting and jigging, the 9cm Squidly has three plastic squids rigged in a paternoster style. The components, as always with Black Magic tackle, are high in strength and performance. Squidly rigs use 60lb trace and a long shank hook. Keep an eye out for the new Squidlys at a store near you, and watch out for the new candy colour as well.

Before you use these rigs, check the local fishing regulations regarding the number of hooks allowed per rig. If need be, you can just remove one of the hooks and use it separately. www.blackmagictackle.com

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visit www.tacklejunkie.fish for the latest tackle news - AS IT HAPPENS!

SCAN THE QR CODE!

PRODUCT GUIDE

WHAT’S NEW FISHING

Field testing the new Zerek Flat Shad Pro and Live Mullet There’s a huge range of soft plastics on the market, and all of their different designs have not come about by accident; rather they are the result of extensive research and development. The one thing I really like about plastics is that they are continually evolving, and a look at the new range of Zerek soft plastics confirms this fact. Zerek is all about making good lures even better.

The original Zerek Flat Shad sported a baitfish-shaped body and active tail that virtually begged a fish to have a bite. I have found them to be extremely effective, especially on ambush predators such as barra, jacks, flathead and cod.

Now Zerek has revamped the Flat Shad with a softer and more flexible body material throughout. It’s called the Flat Shad Pro, and it’s part of Zerek’s Professional Craft series of plastics.

The newbies are lighter, yet just as dangerous to fish due to the supple body collapsing upon a bite to enable the hook to do its job. These new lures have been designed to be cast on a more lightly-

The Flat Shad has a high degree of snag proofing as the hook will lay right along the lure’s back during the retrieve. lure, with a deliberately slow retrieve, was deadly on these marble-eyed freshwater marauders.

Casting just behind a large rock in a high country stream, I eased the snag-

TESTED

the action of a swimming fish.

Remember how effective the Zerek Live Shrimp is, due to its very lifelike action and appearance? The same flexibility and realistic appearance is the key with the Zerek Live Mullets, as their segmented construction provides ultra flexibility in the water. Moreover, these segments are held together with Kevlar matting material throughout to ensure that toothy critters don’t give them the chop. They also feature 3D eyes for maximum attraction.

Available in a wide range of colours, sizes and weights, the Live Mullet has certainly earned its place in the tackle box. Just like the Pro Series Flat Shad, the Mullet’s action stands out from the crowd. It can be retrieved as fast or as slow as you like without sacrificing that fish-attracting wiggle.

I’ve seen these Mullet take quite a few species of fish so far, and without a doubt durability is one of the best things about them. In the freshwater they were good on Murray cod, and my son Scott was generous enough to take me out from Mission Beach and show me how effective the Mullet was on a decentsized queenfish. Despite the attention the queenie gave the lure with its teeth, the Live Mullet came out unmarked. That’s pretty tough! - Wayne Kampe

This Zerek Live Mullet came through totally unscathed from an encounter with a queenfish taken by Scott Kampe. weighted hook, and this reduction in weight gives the tail a slower, more active and enticing action. The Flat Shad Pro can flutter down or be retrieved on the slowest of rolls, with the tail working very enticingly.

For those among us that like to pimp their lures, there’s an attachment loop

for an additional stinger hook set into the lead belly weight of Zerek’s weedless worm hook.

These lures come in a range of sizes Murray cod find the Zerek Flat Shad Pro hard to resist. This fish nailed the lure the from 3.5-7”, and there are five colours second the author started a slow roll retrieve. to choose from. I opted for a bright orange/yellow 4.5” model to try out on Granite Belt cod, and I found that the proof Zerek over the rock and watched in amazement as three smaller cod fought over the offering. One naturally hooked up, and I released it after a quick photo.

In the saltwater I gave a couple of Flat Shad Pros a swim in the Murray River near Tully, and saw everything from barra through to jacks attacking them.

Zerek Live Mullet series The concept of a lure closely resembling a fish is an old one. Early offerings made by various companies were moulded to look like fish, but sadly did not swim like one, as they lacked flexibility due to a one-piece rigid construction. They were innovative, but not reliable fish catchers.

These days the new Zerek Live Mullet range from their Professional Craft series are as far removed from those early offerings as I am from competing in an The Zerek Flat Shad pro series is virtually Iron Man event. Constructed from a highly The Zerek Flat Shad pro series is virtually snag proof. This barra scoffed the snag proof. This barra scoffed the durable, high-end TPE material, the Live Flat Shad right in the sticks.

Flat Shad right in the sticks.

Mullet is specifically designed to imitate

MARCH 2018

49

BOATS FOR SALE on

Jetski – perfect diving vessel WEST COAST

Brett Illingworth

STRATOS DC 287 Location: VIC

In 2005 I made a decision that profoundly altered the way I approached diving and spearfishing. I had been mulling over a new vessel; it had to be small, fast and insanely seaworthy. It had to have long range, so I bought a three-seat SeaDoo. Yep – a jetski. I haven’t looked back.

I’m on my second now – it’s the best investment I have ever made.

A three-seat ski has ample room for two divers to blast

across the ocean in search of prey. However, it is much more fun if everyone has their own, allowing you the added comfort of going one-up.

I have at least 15 friends in Victoria who now conduct their dive activities from the back of their jet skis. The movement is growing, and why not? There is no more seaworthy vessel on the ocean.

If the weather comes up rough, getting home will still be a breeze, allowing you to stay that little bit longer or get there a little bit earlier.

A ski will also allow you to get into some of those

$22,995 SKEETER ZX190 Location: NSW

Adem Temel with a decent kingy from the far east.

$45,000 CHAMPION 188 Location: QLD

$34,000

Kim Adair holds up a great kingfish from Great Glennie Island.

SKEETER SX 180 Location: NSW

$34,000 STRATOS 294 XL

Murray Petersen with a SBT shot down west.

Location: NSW

$50,000 Like us on facebook for automatic updates 50

MARCH 2018

Eckart Benkenstein is proud with his Cape Schanck king.

places that a boat simply can’t go or to locales too far to swim to. Much of the ‘middle ground’ has now been opened. The skis also have the range for serious offshore work, allowing the islands of Bass Strait to be visited as well as the continental shelf or areas along the coast, far from boat ramps. My boat has a 60L fuel tank; this is good for about 150km, depending on speed and sea state. I have a removable rack, which can hold more fuel, an esky, or both.

Range and reliability are paramount, so I favour skis with small to mid-sized engines. I also prefer no superchargers or turbos.

Economy is the important issue. I can still blast across the water at 100km/h, but I can go twice the distance at 50km/h.

They are also economical to tow. I don’t need a Land Cruiser to tow my vessel. My old Falcon wagon doesn’t even know it’s there. This means that long road trips aren’t going to break the bank.

To page 51

Hot Spot

Can’t beat Purrumbete CRANBOURNE

Mitch Chapman

Known for its trophy trout and Chinook salmon, Lake Purrumbete has stood the test of time and is Victoria’s premier big trout fishery along with its neighbour Bullen Merri.

Fish to 15lb are a real possibility with 10lb+ fish not uncommon. If it’s a trophy you’re after then Purrumbete is the place to head.

PRIME TIME The best time to fish Lake Purrumbete is during the colder months when the water temperature cools down and the fish become active, feeding on bait balls and smelt around the margins of the lake.

THE GEAR A 2-4kg graphite spin rod with 2000-2500 sized reels is best suited when casting and trolling for trout. A reel spooled up with

At the dive site you can anchor like a boat and work the area. If you want to move, simply pull up the little grapnel and tow it to the next hotspot. They are quite easy to tow behind you. When I am at the Prom looking for kingfish, or out wide looking for tuna, I simply connect my rigline directly to the ski with the other end attached to the gun. I hook my flashers to the bow allowing the natural movement of the vessel to work the flashers for me. All I have to do is float alongside and relax between dives and drift along. No hard swimming need be involved. At the end

CREATE YOUR ADVENTURES

Bettsy caught this trophy trout in Lake Purrumbete.

Fish like this are a high possibility in this lake!

If there’s one thing Dan Mackrell knows about, it’s big browns on the cast.

From page 50

6lb braid and fluorocarbon leader anywhere from 6-12lb is a must. There are some seriously big fish in this lake and the first hit from an angry trout can

of the drift run it’s a simple matter to climb back on and motor back to the start. An added bonus is that if you have any nasty visitors, safety is close at hand.

As I am predominantly a solo diver, my ski has become my de facto dive buddy; it’s always close at hand to offer aid and comfort if need be.

I never have to worry about where it is – the perfect dive vessel.

The weather is still a little up and down, but at least it’s warm and the fish are in reasonable abundance. The visibility has been odd this year with crystal waters one day, filth the next and back

pop leaders like cotton.

BAIT AND LURES Hardbodied lures such as Lucky Craft Flash Minnows and Daiwa Double Clutches work well if you want to cast the lake.

Lures like the Tassie Devils are always a popular choice for anglers who like to troll.

BEST METHOD Flat lining on first and last light is a popular method around the lake’s margins. As the day goes on the use of downriggers is a must to get your lures down deep – sometimes as deep as 80-90ft.

Bait fishing with pilchard strips and whitebait is another popular and proven method.

MOTHER NATURE The lake can rough up with bad winds and become quite choppy. Small boats need to be careful as well as medium sized ones, because it’s easy to get caught out on the other side of the lake when it gets nasty.

HOT TIP Make sure you have plenty of warm clothes and rug up. In the middle of winter the lake is very cold, especially on first and last light. to clear again. Kings appear to be everywhere and those bluefin are still being seen at various locations throughout the state.

In the reporting time for this issue, Nathan Watson managed to spear a 10kg+ southern bluefin tuna in 8m of water near Point Lonsdale while looking for crayfish. I am just a little jealous. There is still bait in abundance, which is holding these good fish close to the coast. Other predators are also increasing. Be careful out there as there appears to be an increase in shark activity close to shore. Not all of the sharks are of the friendly variety. Stay vigilant.

485 SUNRUNNER For more information visit

www.horizonboats.com.au or call your nearest dealer Chelsea Yamaha

13 Ashley Park Drive Chelsea Heights Victoria 3196 Phone 03 9772 1277 robert@chelseayamaha.com.au

Michael Parker Marine

4 Erica Court Albury NSW 2640 Phone 02 6043 1578 mick.parker.marine@bigpond.com

Swan Hill Power Products 40 Nyah Road Swan Hill Victoria 3585 Phone 03 5032 2116 warren@shpp.com.au

Wonthaggi Motorcycles & Power Equipment 48-52 Inverloch Road Wonthaggi Victoria 3995 Phone 03 5672 3500 sales@wonthaggimotorcycles.com.au

MARCH 2018

51

Go Behind the Scenery

Tasmania

Game fishing going great guns in Tasmania TASMANIA

Kelly Hunt

We have turned around twice and it’s March. The water quality and richness of its treasures has been fantastic so far. We have had a very good summer of fishing and even though March is technically the start of autumn I don’t see the action slowing.

You must excuse me for talking a lot about the offshore fishing in this issue, as it has been a season to celebrate. The water temperatures have been up off the east coast and this has been the foundation of some great pelagic fishing.

The snapper and yellowtail kingfish have been strong and continue to fish well, so we’ll talk about where and how to go about finding some of these as well.

GET INTO GAME FISHING This month will be heavy on game fishing and I can’t apologise for this, as the season has been a blockbuster. The game fishing season is on fire here in Tasmania at the minute. It’s a season start like no other, so the best time to go is now. Don’t waste time thinking about it.

Make a plan, find a weather window and make a date.

The water current from the

there were yellowfin tuna caught of St Helens and Bicheno, hammerhead sharks seen and also two separate sightings of manta rays. Yes, that’s right – manta rays. I confirmed one sighting with a guy that witnessed them and he has dived with them around the world.

This sort of water is exciting as it holds other species that are very, very interesting to the avid game fisher – marlin and mahimahi. Mahimahi are great fighters and superb eating, so they’re always a sought-after species, but marlin are a whole new ball game. They have it all; they’ve got power and speed and don’t mind going airborne and tail walking.

They are the ultimate species to check off the Tassie species bucket list.

So while the moon and tides can play a part in your success, they don’t take into account work rosters and family commitment.

If you get a few days off, go! Go like the shot out of a gun. Get your boat set up small, medium or large and get out there now!

Where to go St Helens has long been the area held in high regard as the Mecca of Tasmanian game fishing, but over several seasons it has started to lose its

you. It’s the first place the current has to come past and the shelf off St Helens has some features that are of great interest. The up-welling and current runs around and through areas such as the Hill, the Bin Patch and the cliffs are all worth a look and the envy of most other areas in the state.

Then you have the grounds around the Platue, Middle Ground and Merricks. St Helens has always been a bigger boat sort of fishery – other than Middle ground and Merricks, the grounds are out wide on the shelf or further.

Bicheno is like St Helens and when you commit to a run to the shelf you need to have studied the weather for the morning you leave, and what it’s likely to do at lunch and later in the day. The bigger boats can wear a little weather and come home in all sorts but if you’re in a smaller boat, working out the swell direction and what the weather is going to be in the afternoon will allow you to plan your day. If it’s slight wind in the morning and going to get up later in the day, work an area that has you fishing most of the day and come home with it at your stern, dragging lures as you go.

Bicheno is an area that really comes alive at

Finding hapuka is just like finding a big golden nugget! north and the quality of that water are the best I have seen for some time.

There are some fantastic reports coming in from people catching some great fish and seeing some wild scenes out on the wide blue sea. Just to give you some idea, in the last few weeks of January 52

MARCH 2018

hold on the title. Places such as Eaglehawk Neck and Bicheno have been nipping at its heels. Even Swansea and Triabunna have been giving up some good catches of game fish to attract the first-timer and seasoned anglers alike.

St Helens still has a few feathers in its cap, mind

the 100m line. This is the magical line where the birds start to really thicken up.

Who knows why, but they do and it’s as good a place as any to start your spread of lures. Just recently we came out of Bicheno at a good steam; we got to the 100-120m line and saw the birds thicken right up with

Albacore are in good numbers on the shelf all down the coast of Tasmania. shearwaters and gannets in great numbers. That was good enough for us and in went the lures.

No sooner had we gone 2nm, but we were on with multiple hook-ups of striped and blue tuna. We then decided to steam to the edge of the shelf and look for some albacore.

My preferred method is to zigzag across the shelf for 1nm and try to locate them.

This time we found them inside the shelf, but they can be anywhere, the tricky blighters.

You can get a little caught up in ‘the best’ place to go but it’s not that big a deal. The best place for you to go is the one that maximises your time on the water. Depending on travel time and weather conditions, make a decision that gives you with the most amount of time with lures in the water. All the areas mentioned have good fish stocks in them at the minute.

The coast is simply teeming with life and all you have to do is cover the fish with your lures. That simply means having your lures in the water looking really good for long enough for a school of fish to see them. Remain vigilant with keeping weed off the lures and in the water when travelling down sea.

A surf down a wave can increase speed to where they are hopping out and tumbling along the surface. They must be running clean and smooth at all times.

Swansea and Eaglehawk Neck are the small boat game fishing capitals of Australia. I can’t think of anywhere else in Australia apart from the northern end of Fraser Island that offers as good a small boat game fishing opportunity than these two Tasmanian destinations.

With the right weather report at Swansea you can steam across the bay and pop out between the mainland and Schouten Island through the passage.

This is where the action starts. I have caught goodsized southern bluefin right there on topwater lures. The bluefin can be right up the eastern edge of the island right down to the southern tip. Work bait up against the many rock ledges and island shore. If the wind gets up, you can then use the landfall to get back to cover and run for home.

It’s a great place for the smaller vessel.

Eaglehawk Neck is very similar with many points and bays to fish from in most weather conditions.

On the very best of days you can come out of Pirates Bay. If it’s a little rugged, the safety of Fortescue Bay is very welcoming. The gravel road into Fortescue is a small pain offset by the amazing scenery and protection from both bluffs on the port and starboard as you head out.

From the mouth of the bay you can make a decision on the conditions and head to where ever you want to try your luck. If the weather is a bit ordinary, you can even fish the mouth of the bay and venture out to where you feel comfortable and come back in again in a wide arc. Plenty of tuna have been caught this way.

The gear The big gold overhead reels have often been the domain of the game fishing set and for good reason.

They hold plenty of line, have strong drags and the drags are pre-set via a lever system. This allows for a precise and quick adjustment to a consistent known weight of drag. In a

competition sense or when playing very big fish this is crucial. If you think you are going to one day join a club or want to battle a jumbo tuna or big mako shark then an overhead reel may be the choice for you.

If the overheads aren’t your thing and you are after something that has some multiple uses on your boat then the eggbeater or big spinning reels might be for you. If you combine some good quality braid with a big 8000 size spinning reel, you have enough line capacity to tame most things in the deep blue ocean. You can always chase a fish down.

Something with a bit more drag pressure can tame the big tuna and mako sharks but are equally at home deep dropping for striped trumpeter and big tiger flathead!

The advent of braided lines has really made the big spinning reel a viable option and all you need to do is put on a mono leader and you’re away. There are many options for this; a simple swivel attached to the braid after a bimini or plaited double is tied on and a leader material of 80-120lb can be attached.

What lures to pull There are a million and one types of lures and they all have some relevance in some way shape or form.

I can only offer my advice from experience I have had firsthand. The first thing is to get your head around what you are trying to do and that is fool a fish into thinking what you are dragging is food. Others will profess lures to be the best and this and that, but when all is said and done it has to be dragged within sight of a fish to do any good.

Go Behind the Scenery Then it’s up to the quality of the lure to entice the strike. eBay junk lures are too light and their skirts are rubbish. You can buy any number of cheaper lures anywhere you like, but a spread of quality lures will have you in great form to trick fish and get a bite from fish that may even be full. Action in the water and staying in the water are key to getting more hook-ups more often.

Look for lures with weighted heads that are shaped perfectly to stay in the water and create great bubble trails. The skirts need to be great quality and combine with the head design to give a great waggle action. Also try lures that run under the surface with a wiggle action – spooky fish find this irresistible. When it’s bright and a bit flat, the subsurface lures really come into their own.

Tuna have massive eyes and with no ripple or wave to refract the light on a sunny day they go deeper for some respite.

Get two matches, jam your eyes open and go outside to look at the sun – that’s a tuna on the surface on a sunny day. Ain’t nobody got time for that!

On a sunny day don’t be scared to get two deep divers in your spread. If you’re running skirts over the top of them at skirt speeds, they are really only subsurface. If it’s really bright, knock the speed right back and let the divers

of the day go, ‘Oh it was too sunny and bright. That’s why we didn’t catch.’ Well on one of these 6-8 hour no-fish-on-a-sunny-day days, why not give it a go?

Don’t lose your mind after 30 minutes or an hour of not getting a bite; persevere, dig deep and think. Where is the bait?

Where is some structure to drag these divers over a few times? Give it a real good go and see how it pans out.

Speed is crucial. The general rule of thumb is 13-15km/h for tuna species and this equates to 7-8 knots respectively. If you come onto some albacore, you can be at the slower end of the scale, as they tend to like a lure that’s loping a bit. If you’re on a search mission to locate some fish and cover some ground, go a little faster.

Don’t for one second think a tuna won’t get hold of your lure if it goes past at 9-10 knots. Be mindful of what your lures are doing if you’re trolling a little quicker than normal, particularly down sea or in a crosswind. You don’t want your lures hopping out of the water or tumbling across swells. They must be in the water and swimming at all times.

While a lot of the focus is on tuna here in Tasmania, for those who aspire to catch their first Tasmanian marlin this is the season to try your hand at landing one. We get a really good run of striped marlin from

not suited to pinning a billfish in the jaw or you can get your head around what you need to do to maximise your chances.

Hook choice is critical to raise the probability of a solid hook-up on a marlin and you need a solid hookup, as they will shake their head and jump all over the place. This is part of their excitement, but also a big part in the frustration they

time to time and one such time is now. The water will be holding some good fish over the next few weeks right and they will be goodsized fish.

There are two ways to go about trying to land a marlin in Tasmania. You can just do the same thing you’ve always done and drag skirts with blunt hooks

marlin in our waters aren’t known to be thick enough to warrant a lot of it, but with the water off the coast lately it’s well worth a try.

It’s going to totally freak you out, but you are going to have to tow lures with no hooks in them. Yes, that’s right – mind blown.

You need two or three big pusher skirted lures and a teaser out of the stern of the boat causing some

Glen Saltmarsh and Harry Murfet found some yellowfin to excite the entire state’s game fishing anglers.

The author found a few cracker Bicheno blue-eye trevalla. out a bit longer so they will get right down. Don’t worry about the skirts when it’s crazy sunny.

I know it will drive you mad because it’s ‘not what we do.’ The slow speed will freak you out because it’s ‘not what we do.’ What you normally do is troll around in the sun for 14 hours burning fuel and at the end

one of your lures. At this time of year on the shelf of Tasmania it makes great sense to have all your lures rigged with decent hooks so you don’t become the angler who had a marlin come up into the spread and smack a lure only for it to jump you off.

Don’t get me wrong – that can still happen, but with a quality light gauge sharp hook it will be more

Tasmania

can bring. It’s not unusual for a marlin to be fought on a tuna-rigged lure for long enough that you think it’s a done deal, only for the hook to fly or drop out.

Light, super strong and sharp – these are all the attributes to greatly increase your hook-up rates when you happen to have a marlin have a go at

likely to stick. Don’t rig the hook up into the skirt either.

Have the hook eye just inside the skirt and have the gape of the hook out and well clear of the skirt.

This will mean more of the hook will be free to get into the jaw of a fish and not get clogged up with plastic skirt. This improves your hook-up rates with marlin and any other fish swipe your lures.

While a concentrated effort in rigging with good hooks will help keep you attached to a marlin, you still only have a 50-50 chance when it comes to landing a marlin with lures.

The boss in the marlin catching stakes is switch baiting. There is no other form of fishing that is as exciting or as adrenalinforming as switch baiting a lit up and angry marlin.

This is a technique that is as satisfying as any part of our great pastime of fishing. Sadly, we don’t do anywhere near enough of it in Tasmania. We seem too set in our ways or don’t have the patience to get the job done.

This is a technique like most fishing – you want get it right first go and it’s only after a sequence of trips that you will have success. The

serious commotion. The idea is to have the boat look like a bait ball. The lures and teasers look like fish feeding hard and the marlin comes in for a look.

If a marlin comes up, it will be looking to feed hard. This is where the crew needs to have good eyes and spring into action. The marlin will come up onto one of the lures and start flogging it. The crew has to work as a team, get the teaser in neatly and whip the lures in that the fish isn’t on. The crew member bringing in the lure the fish is on has to do so gently and smoothly so the fish stays on that lure. Another crew member then gets ready to toss a live bait that has been caught that morning and rigged in the livewell with a big circle hook ready to go.

You then get that bait in the water as the boat comes down off trolling speed and feed that bait out to the fish in the hope that the fish inhales it and swallows it down. Then ever so carefully you point the rod tip down at the fish and slowly press the drag lever up, hopefully to find some tension on the rod tip and a marlin bursting out of the water shaking its head at the annoyance of the big

circle hook stuck in its jaw bone! Game on!

Finding a good spot Here are a few quick tips on where to concentrate your efforts once you are out on the big blue ocean. The ocean surface is so large and expansive that when you times that by the depth you are in it seems an impossible task to find fish. It can all be a bit overwhelming, so what can you do to increase your bite?

Stay alert and have a good set of eyes on you.

Constantly scan the water out in a zone for any surface disturbance from a feeding fish breaking the water. If you are on one side of the boat, that’s your zone; start up a playful competition with the person on the other side of the boat to be the first person to see something of interest. It is like a piscatorial game of I spy. It doesn’t need to be a fish either. It can be a line of weed that signifies a temperature break, current line or something large in the water that may have some fish hovering around it.

I’ve said a hundred times, birds are your friends. Gannets feeding hard are what you can really get excited about. When they are forming up and gaining height, that’s the time to head over to them.

They have remarkable sight and a sixth sense for a bait ball, so always watch them with a keen eye. Any bird activity is worth a look and an exciting scene when you have been trolling for hours with no result.

I often see people heading over madly to birds; they see seals and leave, uninterested. This is madness. The more involved in a bird feed on a bait ball, the merrier I believe. Mahimahi, seals, birds – the lot. Get them all involved, I say. While they are busting up the bait, the tuna may be there already or they will be on the way.

The noise of a bait ball being smashed by all must travel under water and I just bet the tuna are a tuned in to it. Not to mention the actual animals and bird life eating and munching up the bait create a massive berley event!

Be prepared to work over a bird feed from all angles and for a fair bit of time. Heading off because there are seals is ridiculous.

I suppose the thought is ‘if I catch a fish, it will get sealed,’ but that’s not a 100% certainty at all.

There are a lot of variables that could mean that you catch that fish in spite of the seals. Driving past is a lot like driving past McDonalds to the park on the off chance you find a burger down the back corner near the swings!

MARCH 2018

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Go Behind the Scenery

Tasmania

is your chance to tow some small jet heads and feather lures at a good pace between the rocky sections down and around Woolnorth. The fish may have shut down and it’s up to you to fire them up.

Try some lures out fairly long and some in short in the wash to maximize your presentation. These fish are often found out off the rocks a bit, so you can try your luck on even lighter gear for some great fun. This area has been growing as a catch and release fishery and the kings don’t freeze very well, so by all means take a few to eat and remember to let a few go.

The beach and rocky point fishing continue to be of interest across the coast.

The points to try are Sisters Beach and of course the rocky point at Boat Harbour.

The Australian salmon have continued to be there in good numbers. Something flashy that will take a speedy retrieve is the go. To get the required distance and cover a good amount of water use a longer rod and 20lb braid.

The lighter the braid you can

get away with, the better it will be for casting.

As anglers, I think we often overdo the breaking strain of main line we place on a reel. I’m as guilty as anyone.

If we were to fish lighter, we would cover more water with longer casts and cut the water quicker for better bait and lure presentations. The next time you go to load up a reel think about going 5-10lb lighter.

You will cover more fish, get more bites and it will be more fun to fish.

Just as an exercise grab a reel with 30lb braid and tie on a 10lb leader. Run 30m or so of line out and hook it up on something solid. Set the drag to nearly locked up and then try and break the line through the rod and guides; go easy and don’t high stick and break the rod! I bet you’ll be surprised by how much pull you can put on something.

Back on the rocky points from Sisters Beach and back through Wynyard and Burnie, try casting out long and hard and winding in fairly swiftly.

You are looking for those big thick powerful ‘blackback’ (Australian salmon). They are great fun and okay on the tooth if eaten fresh – don’t leave it

On a tide change the water can surge and push through there quite hard; it’s not too bad and quite predictable once you know what it’s doing. You can pop out of the Gulch from the north or south end and you are immediatly confronted by a great wide-open expanse of water full of fish and opportunities.

The flathead fishing starts in 40m with sand flathead and as you head out deeper you will start to find both sand and tiger flathead in good numbers.

I have found awesome-sized tiger flathead in 80-100m of

water while looking for stripy trumpeter. Yes, the stripy trumpeter fishing is awesome as well. Most people like to head north to Seymore, but with a good sounder you can find them anywhere off the coast of Bicheno.

Once you come across the 100m line you will see the birdlife start to thicken right up and it’s if the birds of all ilk and feather know that there is some food about or tuna about to create a bait ball nearby. We always put the lures in at this point and start a trolling session with some smaller skirts out. We are very rarely let down. At times it might only be a few

NORTH WEST COAST The Burnie area right through to Montague has continued to fish well and provide plenty of sports fishing as well as table fare.

If you are looking for a place in Tasmania to have two or three nights away and enjoy some great light line sports fishing then try Montague. This fantastic area really is on another level. The scenery and old school charm of the place can even have you thinking you’ve gone back in time.

The rugged beauty of the landscape and coastline is as much worth travelling for as the fishing. Oh, and the fishing is sensational. Light line angling for yellowtail kingfish in the heavy water flows on the outgoing tide is great fun. I will say though that light line here is 30lb braid and 40lb leader at a bare minimum. These fish fight dirty and know where every sharp rock crevice and ledge is, and all the good clumps of bull kelp.

The water will slow and so too will the action in and around the outflows. This EAST COAST BICHENO It’s no secret that I love Bicheno. The little town is so handy to navigate and it has all the bases covered with the three Bs: a bakery, a bottle shop and a boat ramp… What more could you need?

The fact that it’s a great place to fish is also a massive bonus. The boat ramp is pretty easy to navigate and use. On a low tide you have to be careful. I have been in and out of there heaps of times at low tide with no issue, but still found a rock that bent a shaft a few years ago… Doh.

on a shelf in your fridge and expect it to be any good three or four days later. They are a hand grenade and once caught you have pulled the pin on them. Eat ‘em quick!

At this time of year you can also be fairly hopeful about a yellowtail kingfish in Bass Strait. They swim with salmon and they swim on their own. They are hunters and looking for bait. If you know anywhere the water pushes a little on a tide change where you often catch small mullet and cocky salmon, that’s a good place to start. Get some lures out as far as you can cast and let them sink. Then bring them in hard in what’s called the ‘turn and burn.’

If you are used to a trout or normal fish retrieve, you will be wondering ‘what am I doing?’ Kings and salmon like some speed. They have little brains and are fired up to eat on instinct even when they are full. A flashy lure full of action will instigate a bite if they are in the area.

The snapper continue to pop up in my Facey newsfeed and are right along the coast.

Anglers have started to break down the process of what works best in their areas and

are finding fish often. There are the shallow water fishers that like to find a break in a reefy section in 15m or shallower. Then there are the fishos that are finding some shale bottom in 20m or more or maybe a small reef popping out of that bottom. Both styles of bottom and fishing have been producing fish from Wynyard along the front of Burnie and Penguin.

The best advice I can give to people trying their hand at a coastal Tassie snapper is don’t be afraid to fail. There will be plenty of trips where it doesn’t quite go right and you’ll do no good. Don’t be discouraged; get back on the horse. Even the anglers that have cracked the code will have a one in three strike rate. That means that for every three times they set up and have a crack they will only catch fish the once.

Just get out and have a crack.

Gearing up with a bit of essential kit is crucial; you have heard me mention this before and it’s true. Get into a local tackle store and ask them anything you need to know.

ULVERSTONE The river flowing out of Guns Plains and through Ulverstone has never really

Rays bream are part of the treasure of Bicheno.

been seen as a place to concentrate your fishing efforts. The upper reaches have always been a favourite with the hardcore trout fishos, but that’s about it. This has started to see a slow but steady change.

The water flowing into the river at this time of year on the mid to high tide is bluey green and full of life. The baitfish that come into the river and estuary system are many and varied.

This in turn brings in bigger fish that are looking to trap and feed on these fish. Bigger salmon and some very nice tailor have been caught lately as the tide starts to come off the flats and into the deeper holes.

Anglers that have switched on to this have found some great silver trevally as well.

There is always the chance of a nice bluespot flathead if you work bigger soft plastics into these deeper holes slowly and through the back edges. There are a number of gutters that the baitfish will be exiting and a convergence of these is a good spot to find the big flathead that are waiting in ambush. striped tuna that we will use for mako berley or awesome strip baits for hitting the bottom with the electrics.

You can often find bluefin tuna or albacore mixed in with them, but you’ll do better just off the shelf for those. Once you get to the shelf you can continue your troll and pick up southern bluefin and some good-sized albacore. These fish are always welcome as they are great eating. If you pay some attention to dispatching these fish, bleeding them out and getting them chilled down in a salt water ice slurry, you will have the base for a meal most people pay massive To page 55

HYDRO TASMANIA WATER STORAGE INFORMATION Water Storage Information as at 7 February 2018 Lake/Lagoon

Metres from full

Comment

Trevallyn Pond..................................1.46...................................................................

Lake Mackenzie................................7.88...................................................................

Lake Rowallan..................................1.61...................................................................

Lake Parangana................................0.34...................................................................

Lake Cethana....................................1.27...................................................................

Lake Barrington................................0.85...................................................................

Lake Gairdner...................................1.86...................................................................

Lake Paloona....................................1.63...................................................................

Lake Augusta....................................3.42...................................................................

Arthurs Lake.....................................1.13...................................................................

Great Lake........................................14.28.................................................................

Little Pine Lagoon.............................0.75...................................................................

Shannon Lagoon...............................0.12...................................................................

Penstock Lagoon..............................0.23...................................................................

Woods Lake......................................1.39...................................................................

Lake St Clair.....................................1.99...................................................................

Lake King William.............................4.67...................................................................

Lake Echo.........................................6.69...................................................................

Dee Lagoon.......................................0.05...................................................................

Pine Tier Lagoon...............................2.48...................................................................

Bronte Lagoon..................................0.87...................................................................

Bradys/Binneys/Tungatinah..............2.79...................................................................

Laughing Jack Lagoon.....................3.61...................................................................

Lake Liapootah.................................2.15...................................................................

Wayatinah Lagoon............................0.38...................................................................

Lake Catagunya................................0.49...................................................................

Lake Repulse....................................0.63...................................................................

Cluny Lagoon....................................0.00.......................................................Spilling Meadowbank Lake...........................0.27...................................................................

Lake Burbury....................................3.56...................................................................

Lake Margaret..................................8.11...................................................................

Whitespur Pond................................8.09...................................................................

Lake Newton.....................................3.64...................................................................

Lake Plimsoll....................................6.55...................................................................

Lake Murchison................................20.01.................................................................

Lake Mackintosh..............................8.44...................................................................

Lake Rosebery..................................0.40...................................................................

Lake Pieman.....................................0.85...................................................................

Lake Pedder......................................1.44...................................................................

Lake Gordon.....................................22.82.................................................................

These levels are provided for an indication of lake level only and can vary from day to day. For more up-to-date lake level information please visit www.hydro.com.au/home/Tourism+and+Recreation/Lake+Levels.htm

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Go Behind the Scenery

have a few others. A nice strip of tuna belly flap will bring most fish undone. Pinned twice through the skin and set on the hook – so not to clog the hook gape – it’s a winner.

Always be prepared for the unexpected when working the bottom over on the shelf, as you never know what may unfold. It’s often the commotion of the rigs moving down and up from the depths that can attract the attention of other species. Having a

little berley from cleaning the odd fish as you go can add to the attraction. We always have a shark trace secured to suitable a rod ready to go at the drop of a hat. They love just rocking by to see what all the carry-on is about.

We never fish the bottom without a jig of some kind or another out at the rear of the boat. You can pick up yellowtail kingfish or southern blues and albacore quite often.

If you see some yellowtail

kingfish come up with your bottom rigs, have some knife jigs handy and let them drop down past them at speed. They will hate that and follow them down at pace. Then work them back up in an erratic fashion – the more erratic, the better. For some reason there is something that is switched on in a kingfish’s head when something looks wounded and dying. This is the best way to get a bite.

The area has also been opened up for crayfish again recently and Bicheno is fishing well. The area was one of the last to open in regards to algal bloom toxins. The Australia Day weekend saw that clear and the cray pot and divers were out in droves. The area around Bicheno fishes quite well for crays; it’s just a matter of dropping your pot on a likely spot and trying your luck.

All in all, if you’re looking for a place to get away with the family and spend some quality time on the water, keep Bicheno in mind. It’s a fabulous seaside village with lots to see and do outside of fishing too.

for flathead works extremely well and allows you to cover more ground.

The good old and oftenforgotten flounder have been fishing well. There have been some rather large flounder taken in North West Bay and further down the channel recently by anglers willing to put in the time after dark.

Howden, Coningham and Snug are all great spots to try.

You’re also likely to come across some good garfish and even calamari while wading the flats at night. It’s a great pastime and well worth gearing up to do. If you are from this area, head in and

see Tom at the Fishermen’s Shed for all the gear.

The squid in the south are really fishing well with both southern calamari and the arrows in great numbers. The shallow weed beds around North West Bay, the lower stretches of the Derwent and Bruny Island have all been producing a good amounts of medium-sized calamari.

The warm water has made them very aggressive and most colours are working well. Arrow squid have also made a strong appearance all around the southeast coast of Tassie and all through the channel, Derwent and North West Bay now too.

Kingfish fever is all around the state, especially

down south. Anyone with a rod in the shed has a dose of it and is getting their fix by scouring the Derwent and surrounding waters. The water temperatures have been hovering around 18-20°C for a while now and the kings are finally starting to fire up. Keep an eye out for bust-ups and big bow waves.

Flat, calm days are perfect for searching for kingfish as they become much easier to spot when they are cruising the surface.

North West Bay, Betsey Island, Bellerieve and Tasman Bridge are just a few hotspots to have a look at.

Kingfish will change their mood and feeding habits in a flash, so it pays to have

From page 54

amounts of money for at high class eateries.

The shelf off Bicheno holds lots of deep water nooks and crannies that give up a treasure trove of deep water tasty treats. The list of species that is available is as long as your favourite fishing rod with blue-eye and rays bream being some favourites. The advent of electric fishing rods has allowed anglers to prospect the bottom and not rely too heavily on big sounder setups or someone else’s marks to find fish.

You can use the Navionics app on your phone and find a likely spot. Drop some baits down with an electric reel and see what interest you get.

If you don’t have any for a while and aren’t drifting onto fish, you can try another spot without too much effort. The flick of a switch will have you up and off to try another section of promising bottom.

Make sure you have a selection of baits to offer the deep sea creatures, as they can be a little fussy at certain times.

The go-to bait is always squid, as it stays on really well; also

Tyson Digney got into some yellowfin off Bicheno.

SOUTH COAST SOUTH Down south the good fishing continues as it does across the entire state. The weather has been very kind and allowed lots of people to get out on the water quite often. The flathead are in good numbers and sand flathead are still being caught in the channel, North West Bay and Norfolk Bay. Most are coming from shallower water in 10-30m. This depth is ideal for lure fishing with soft plastics or blade style lures, which will sink quickly to get you down into the bite zone faster. Casting lures

Tasmania

Big tigers always bring the smiles. a few offerings ready. Some 5-7” soft plastics, micro-jigs, poppers and stickbaits, live baits and dead baits are all worth a try! If you hook one, it pays to keep it in the water, as this will often encourage its mates to hang around and give you a better chance at a double hook-up if you’re fishing with friends.

The two big species that have everyone fired up are the kings and the snapper.

The last few weeks have seen dozens of snapper caught in the southern parts of the state.

Anglers putting in the time and pumping a berley trail around shallow reefy edges have been rewarded with fish up to 50cm on both baits and soft plastics. Using light

gear and light leaders that you would usually use for bream or trout can make for some epic fun!

At this time of year the snapper become very active and will often feed very aggressively at certain parts of the day. Early morning and late evening are by far the best bite periods and the snapper will often move into water as shallow as 4m at these times.

March is a month of opportunity. All you have to do is get on the water with a plan; soon you could be telling tales of a big marlin or the elusive big sickled yellowfin tuna!

Tight lines and until next time, stay safe.

INLAND FISHERIES SERVICE

The Meander River access has reopened IFS

Tim Farrell

Angler access locations at Longridge Road and Birralee Road on the Meander River that were temporarily closed due to forest harvesting operations have been reopened to the public. The IFS thanks Forico for their continued support of the Anglers Access program and the safety of anglers.

FISHERIES HABITAT IMPROVEMENT FUND The Fisheries Habitat Improvement Fund was originally founded in 2000 as an environmental not-forprofit trust whose aim was to fund environmental projects that supported, preserved, protected or enhanced

freshwater fish habitat.

The first project supported by the Fund was the rehabilitation of Shannon Lagoon and a number of works were undertaken to achieve this including bitumen surfacing of the road to reduce sediment runoff into the lagoon. At the completion of this project the Fund committee changed and some impetus was lost in seeking new projects, however donations held were retained and maintained.

A new committee has recently been appointed with representatives from the Inland Fisheries Advisory Council, Anglers Alliance Tasmania, the Trout Guides and Lodges Association and the Inland Fisheries Service.

The committee is considering project funding guidelines,

the application process and the selection process for evaluating project proposals.

The aim of the committee is to call for project proposals and to initiate a successful project or projects in the 2019-20 financial year. In the interim the fund will be actively seeking further support in order to build the existing reserves of the Fund to support meaningful projects relevant to the state’s freshwater ecology. Donations over $2 are tax deductible.

Please contact Tony Wright at the Inland Fisheries Service for any further information and for donations on (03) 6165 3807.

CUMBUNGI CONTROL TRIAL AT FOUR SPRINGS LAKE Anglers Alliance Tasmania was recently alerted

to increasing infestation of cumbungi (bulrush) at Four Springs Lake. These infestations could potentially, over time, inhibit fishing in the shallow margins of the lake if left uncontrolled.

It was determined that two control methods would be trialled for effectiveness.

The first method is to slash the cumbungi 150mm under the water during January with follow up treatments 4-6 weeks afterwards.

The second method is using a low toxicity biactive herbicide suitable for use in aquatic and sensitive areas on aquatic weeds.

Anglers Alliance Tasmania approached IFS to assist with conducting the slashing method. AAT volunteers David Lee and AAT Executive member,

John Broomby assisted

by Neil Morrow of IFS, used a specially converted brush cutter to slash the largest infestation along the southern shore. This work was completed on Monday 15 January.

IFS made plans to engage

a contractor to undertake spraying of the remaining eight smaller infestations with all treatments being monitored for effectiveness in controlling this invasive weed. Follow up treatments will be conducted accordingly.

A relaxing summer day’s fishing.

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55

easter holiday feature

Get ready for the cracking Elingamite redfin COBDEN

Rod Shepherd

I’m rather surprised and a little chuffed at just how well known Lake Elingamite has become with anglers over the past few years. I am often asked (via phone calls, emails and social media) how the lake’s water levels are faring and, more importantly, how the fishing has been.

get me away from the ramp and out into the channel. I always carry a long pole as this is sometimes needed to help push my boat out over the muddy bottom.

It’s also amazing just how fast the water level can recede when the sun comes out post-winter and the air temperature rises.

In 2016 the lake received just enough water from winter rains that the above-mentioned

lake looking forward to enjoying a session on the water, so imagine my shock when I saw that the water level had dropped over a foot in the old scale and Lake Elingamite was now closed off to my boat and many others as well.

At the time Fisheries arrived at the lake with 4000 brown and rainbow trout yearlings for release but only one boat managed to get out into deeper water

A 1.5kg monster taken on a Damiki Saemi minnow lure.

A Pontoon 21 Cablista minnow nailed this chunky reddy!

In an attempt to cut a long story short, Elingamite has suffered from low water levels for quite some time now. An average wet winter will raise the water level at the boat ramp just high enough for kayaks, punts and smallish V-nosed, flatbottomed bass boats (such as mine) to get out.

I have a bow mounted electric motor which, when run in shallow drive, will

watercraft could just launch. Good fishing was to be had for the month of September, but from the AFL grand final weekend we received a week of warm temperatures, which exceeded 30°C. Just prior to that I fished the lake, managing to launch the boat and get out without too much difficulty.

Afterwards I hooked up the boat and went out to the

and released just 400 browns with extreme difficulty before the whole stocking event was postponed. This was tragic news.

So for a grand total of just one single month of 2016, the lake was open to fishing and a successful stocking of salmonoids was indefinitely put on hold. Prior to that, if the lake was viable for small craft it would only stay

The view of the lake from the boat ramp, with one of the recently installed channel marker buoys actually standing upright due to rising waters!

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that way for three or so months, which is really disappointing, but at least the lake got stocked.

Is it climate change or a cyclic event? No one is a 100% sure, but one thing’s for certain; in the last ten years the lake has been slowly receding.

A solid wet winter is what the lake has been crying out for and finally we got it in 2017. After a dry summer and early autumn, the rains began in earnest in early May and by late October were still falling. The depth right at the boat ramp had exceeded half a metre around November and that may not sound like much to many, but that’s the best depth we have had for quite some years.

Victorian Fisheries announced on 10 October that Lake Elingamite will receive – in the very near future – a stocking of 4000 yearling rainbows and 1000 yearling browns, which is fantastic news. However, these fish, despite their very fast growth rate in Elingamite will not be of a decent size until next winter when they should average around 900g, going on past growth rates.

Presently there are still some one and two year old fish remaining in Elingamite waiting to be caught, although they can be hard to entice at times.

However, one species yet to be mentioned abounds in the lake and can grow to trophy size – the humble redfin.

Many lakes can suffer from an overpopulation of redfin (they breed like rabbits) which inevitably causes stunting amongst stocks; nearby Lake Purrumbete is a classic example and so too was Lake Colac prior to the last drought which dried up the lake. This has never occurred at Lake Elingamite, so we get a mix of school fish from 350-700g on average and then bigger fish that can easily top 1.5kg.

My first trip out on the lake in 2016 occurred back in early June and resulted in six school fish caught in rather quick succession (I experienced a double hook-up) to 800g. These fish were all taken trolling minnow lures over one

The single lane wood and concrete boat ramp with the now-floating pontoon alongside.

easter holiday feature small area of the lake. I remember dropping another two during the session.

The next successful trip occurred just a few weeks later when I managed one redfin, again on the troll; this one went 46cm and weighed in at 1.5kg.

Over the last decade I have managed to catch several fish in a season that easily exceed 1kg. In fact,

it took me most of the same decade to fully crack the 2kg mark when I boated a 2050g, 52cm fat redfin just three years ago. If I can do it, anybody can. It just takes a bit of patience, perseverance and possibly quite a few trips out over a lengthy period of time, but it could happen on your first trip out. Who knows? It’s a bit of a lottery as to when

the really big one shows up and eats your lure or bait.

To me, trolling minnow lures for Elingamite’s redfin is the way to go.

If you happen to come across a school of fish in feeding mode, you’ll spot them on the sounder. It’s then time to stop trolling (if you want) and begin some static casting or jigging, depending on the depth that

A selection of Saemi lures with a scattering of Cablistas – the author’s go-to lures.

A brace of school redfin taken in quick succession trolling a Damiki Saemi minnow lure.

the fish are holding in.

Currently my favourite lures to troll (and cast) with are the ever-reliable Damiki Saemi 50 medium diving minnows. Next on the list is the 85mm Pontoon 21 Cablista minnow which is a shallow to medium diving stickbait (and works surprisingly well considering much of the fishable depth around the lake averages only around

2.5-3m. A deep diver is not really needed here unless, you concentrate your efforts out in the deeper section (5m+) where schooling redfin can often be located using the boat’s sounder.

Both types of lure also catch trout, which is a real bonus when you’re out chasing the reddies.

The more rain we get, the longer the lake will remain open to boaters. If

we receive decent autumnal rainfall this year, the lake may well remain open.

Here’s hoping!

For those not familiar with Lake Elingamite, bank fishing is totally out of the question due to very weedy and shallow waters that exist right around the lake’s circumference. The underlying muddy bottom is like quicksand, so it’s boats only I’m afraid.

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MARCH 2018

57

easter holiday feature

Catch a topwater cod BRISBANE

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

Murray cod inhabit a good proportion of water at the top and west of the Great Divide these days. Transported via stocking groups from their stronghold of the somewhat turbid waters of the Murray Darling system, there’s been steady up river recruitment in the last three decades, which now sees cod well established in some very pristine streams, rivers and impoundments.

From Queensland’s Granite Belt through the New England ranges as far south of Tamworth and beyond, if the water has permanency and runs west, it’s a fair bet cod will be in it. So an expedition to cod country these days will see an angler with a realistic expectation of decent captures. Remember that Queensland has size limit slots of 60-110cm, with a possession limit of two, while New South Wales are somewhat more protective, with a slot limit of 55-75cm, and with a possession limit of four. Given these figures, it’s pretty obvious that there are some seriously large fish among them.

Large they might be, push overs they are not! Cod have survival instincts that involve staying very close to cover most times, with forays into more open areas of their habitat at times of low light or after dark, so the angler that sets out to nail a cod after a leisurely breakfast or lunch might

well assume there are no cod in the system.

When in the mood and at the right time of day, cod can be outright aggressive and produce some spectacular surface activity on both topwater lure and fly.

IF IT MOVES… As opportunistic feeders, anything that enters their domain will be regarded as tucker. Undoubtedly small

offering in a manner similar to a barra. The boof is not as spectacular as a barra, and for whatever reason they don’t seem to be as accurate as a barra either – the rounded head shape pushes the surface offering away perhaps – but the adrenaline rush of the attack is what keeps us coming back for more topwater work with these brawlers.

Not all surface feeding cod are large fish and this little fish took a liking to the Halco.

With the fly, it’s important to keep the rod tip on the water to eliminate all slack. fish, shrimps and other aquatic life are bread and butter items but terrestrials play a big part in their day-to-day dining as well.

When cicadas and Christmas beetles hit the water, cod eat them like jelly beans.

Moving up the scale, water dragons and birds having a splashy bath, ducklings, mice and even snakes are also seen as potential prey.

Anglers in the know can exploit this trait to great advantage, and it’s a real treat to see a cod – totally unseen prior to the big scoff – nail a surface

The one big advantage of surface offerings is the fact that they make their presence felt; there’s noise and surface disturbance to attract a cod and if the action imparted by the angler is correct, it’s pretty easy to provoke a strike.

BARRA MINDSET? FORGET IT There’s a degree of finesse involved in surface work for cod, especially if you’re targeting the big specimens.

Forget any barra mindset when lure fishing; there’s no requirement for heavy braid or a heavy leader. I think it’s

This fish just could not resist a topwater offering!

58

MARCH 2018

On the right day these surface lures are prime cod catchers, and if a fish looks at but does not connect to them, the first the clue is to persist for a while, before trying another. far better to keep things on the light side for easy and accurate casting. Solid 20lb braid will tame a lot of river and stream cod, while a 10kg leader is all that’s necessary to bring a fish to the bank.

Cod do have teeth, rows of small but sharp little grinders, but lures and flies are seldom bitten off. There’s more risk of a fish racing back to cover and snagging up than biting terminal tackle off.

FINDING TOP WATER COD FISHING As an aside, let’s look at the sorts of places where we might tangle with a topwater cod. From my experience, the cleaner the water, the better the chance of success.

I’ve tried surface offerings, both lure and fly, in western rivers on the Downs and beyond, and results have been disappointing. Subsurface lures and big plastics were great, but my surface crawlers and fur and feather offerings were ignored. These

presentations are far more effective in clearer water.

Impoundments There are plenty of impoundments with Murray

cod in them, and they are renowned for clean water, but the fish tend to be scattered. A fair effort is usually required to score. Anglers with years

Missed it! These fish aren’t the most accurate surface eaters, but it sure is fun watching them try.

of impoundment experience will do it reasonably easy at times, while novices may struggle. It comes down to reading terrain and environment, working out the right combination of cover and depth to attract these predators, then working the surface offering (and there are some whoppers in use these days) on or after dark for success.

Rivers A better way to target cod is to fish the Granite Belt and tableland’s streams further south, as most of the higher altitude small waters and broader rivers towards the western side of the plateau hold cod. Dams such as Glen Lyon, Leslie, Pindari, Copeton, are all fed by these streams. Clean platypus-inhabited water flowing through boulders or rocks into smooth tree-lined pools with rock bottoms, ample snags and bits of timber from long gone floods are the domain of cod that will react positively to a surface lure or fly.

FINESSE TACTICS I mentioned finesse as the key to success with both lure and fly. Minimising all bumping or thumping on the bank and maintaining as low a profile as possible is important in the sweetwater.

The first step is to assess likely cod habitat. The next is to work the lure or fly in a manner that Murray cod find hard to resist.

A lure or fly dropped right by a bit of jutting timber, pool’s head, or against a bank with an overhang of trees or reeds should come under immediate scrutiny if a cod is sitting there just waiting for food to come past. Most cod won’t attack it first off, but will be watching it.

If a lure is on the leader, the idea is to give it some gentle forward motion for a metre or two to kick up some ruckus and wake, then

stop and let it sit right there for around 10 seconds. As soon as it moves again on the retrieve, the water will likely erupt as a cod kicks into gear. Halco’s Night Walker in OZ Frog is one of my favourite’s for this sort of work.

When fly fishing, the presentation needs to be even

create some attention. It’s common to see an oily swirl near the fly at this time, just after it stops… you’ve got a looker! The clue then is to give the fly the tiniest of forward movements, just sufficient to cause the front of it to dip a tad and cause a tiny ripple, then stop. As the fly sits gently rocking,

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A trio of the author’s big topwater cod flies. They have evolved from the Gartside Gurgler and are on 6/0 hooks. more subtle, which is not always so easy with the 8 or 9wt outfit required for casting big bulky flies, plus subduing big bulky cod that want to get back into cover.

The fly, tied on a 4/0 or 6/0 hook and looking like a giant Gartside Gurgler, needs to be on a section of 10kg leader at the end of a floating fly line.

You could use a lighter leader, but it probably isn’t worth the risk of losing the fish – been there and done it.

Your fly should land near the snag or other likely habitat with a plop. After the plop, leave it to sit until all ripples are gone, then three or four short sharp ‘bloops’ for around half a metre will

it’s usually then that there’s a loud scoff as a fish grabs it. A sharp strip strike sets the hook and the long rod is in action.

No matter whether a lure or fly is in use, if the cod is a larger specimen and gets into cover again, it’s unlikely it will be coming out, so keeping things good and tight from the outset should keep the fish under control.

LAST THOUGHTS March, just as the season is changing, is a great month for taking cod on surface lures and flies. It’s also a great month to be camping on a stream with a big fire at night and some cool air when sleeping.

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59

easter holiday feature

Easter delights? Scones in the camp oven BRISBANE

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

The main ingredients for this culinary masterpiece can conveniently be found on the supermarket shelves neatly packed and ready to go. You will also need a fairsized camp oven, a trivet for the interior base to keep the scones from burning and a long handled shovel to maintain control of the coals. A camp oven with a recessed lid is a real asset as well, because coals can be placed on it if necessary

to finish the cooking.

Your first job is to get a fire going with plenty of wood that will provide decent coals. We are always forced to use whatever timber is present, so if it’s she oak or gum timber, plan on using bigger chunks to provide decent coals. It’s best to get the fire going at least 30-45 minutes prior to baking so that the timber has been reduced to coals – nice solid ones without any flame present.

Once the timber has been reduced to coals the idea is to combine the scone mix and milk – forget water, milk is

better – into a dough that is almost sticky but still able to be shaped into a long roll on a floured board, or some newspaper. It’s next cut into scone-sized portions. While making up the scones it’s smart to have the camp oven close by the fire to heat it up; turn it around so the heat is spread uniformly.

We would not put scones at home into a cold oven, right?

So the camp oven needs to be heated up as well.

Regulate the coals. With the fire reduced to coals the shovel is used to scatter them to one side of the fire, making an even bed upon

which to sit the camp oven.

Too much heat will ruin things, so an even bed of coals makes things easier.

My idea of a good bed of coals is one I can easily approach and place the oven on; if I can’t approach it then it’s much too hot. Scatter the coals more in this case.

With the scones in the oven, on the trivet, the camp oven is placed fair on the coals and a few coals heaped evenly around the sides.

After ten minutes it’s wise to see how things are going. At this point the scones should be rising nicely into shape and perhaps browning

a little on the sides. If they’re not browned but taking shape, give them another five minutes and check again.

Once they are browned on the sides, take the camp oven off the coals altogether and then heap a good lot of coals on the lid to finish the top of the scones. Around four or five minutes with coals up top should see the scones done to perfection, yourself as a camp oven hero cook of some stature and a real tasty feed on hand.

For the record I had a lot of failures in the beginning by putting the camp oven in the fire proper. This

invariably burns the scones, hence the need for a shovel to scatter the coals to the one side for cooking. Remember, if the selected coals are still so hot that it’s hard to put the camp oven onto them, it’s wise to scatter them or move them even further to one side to avoid disappointment with burnt offerings. Enjoy.

MATERIALS • Scone mix • UHT milk • Fair-sized camp oven with recessed lid • Trivet • Long-handled shovel

The scone mix looking about ready to be placed on a floured surface for shaping.

Roll the scone dough out, ready to cut it into size for baking.

The scones just about ready for the camp oven.

In they go; the scones should be placed touching each other so they will rise nicely. Evening out the coals with the shovel makes things easy.

The oven was on a quite small bed of coals, but the scones still cooked in less than 15 minutes.

The scones done to perfection and ready for jam and cream. The author placed a substantial bed of coals on the lid to finish the cooking.

60

MARCH 2018

promotion

Lure makers competition for a worthy cause While I’ve enjoyed my visits to the Tackle Show at the Gold Coast, it’s the Lure Expo (held at Ipswich last year) that is the true heart of the Australian tackle industry. The people there range from cottage makers just starting out to much bigger makers like AC Lures and Kuttafurra lures.

The Lure Expo provides a platform for lure sellers and those who can make a work of art with treble hooks hanging from it. I want to encourage those who are looking to move into potential markets, so with the support of several leaders in the industry, including Steve Morgan and Bill Classon, I have decided to run a lure-making competition

lures in any form or who have had a display stand at the Lure Expo (if you already make a lure that fits the bill, current production models can be supplied); and Cottage Makers – you must have sold fewer than 100 lures to qualify for this category.

The main body of the lure must be made from timber, using a blank of no larger than 35x35x125mm for each lure. You can add extra fittings as an attachment, but if you make a jointed version, the wood components can be no longer than 125mm.

Smaller lures may be submitted; it is up to each maker to work within the maximum dimensions.

The lure must be nose tow. Bib tow lures and bibless minnows where

These are some of the most iconic barramundi lures ever produced – two genuine Moller minnows and a Norm Edwards minnow. centred around the Lure Expo to raise some funds for a noteworthy charity.

Many fishers suffer from mental pressures of some sort. It’s something that needs to be recognised and managed. Fishing can be a great therapy and I have chosen Beyond Blue as beneficiary for their work in this area.

There will be two categories: the Lure Leaders – lure-makers who have sold more than 100

the tow point is along the back will not be accepted.

It is possible for the tow point to be fitted into the base of the bib, but the tow point must be affixed to the nose/body of the lure, even with surface lures. The inspiration is the traditional barramundi lure.

One of the first things that becomes important when you move into larger production as a quality control is that the lures have to be pretty close

to identical. If someone catches a big fish on your lure, they are going to want one that performs the same for their next trip, so you must submit two lures. They can be painted differently, but one of the tests is to see how well makers can replicate a lure.

Each lure should be able to be identified by signature or maker’s mark.

One lure will be auctioned off under a silent auction to raise funds for Beyond Blue during the Lure Expo in Ipswich Queensland on 16-17 June.

This lure will not be swum and should preferably be provided in packaging.

The second lure will be used to test the performance of the lure.

Each entrant will be swum to test its performance, which will form part of the final judging. The same criteria used in all of the Lure Encyclopaedia books will be used. This lure must be fitted with all hardware for fishing. These lures may form part of a larger display in the future.

Each pair of lures should come with a card, which, in less than 200 words, details the wood used, the maker, the name of the lure (if using one) and what you were trying to create with the lure.

This card will be displayed next to the lure as part of the silent auction. Please separately include an email address so I can inform you that the lures have arrived safely and seek clarification if required.

Judging will be based on originality, similarity between the two lures, finish, action in the water and overall appearance.

Packaging will be used as a tiebreaker if required.

Lures won’t be returned, although makers can produce additional lures for sale if they have a stand.

The judges will not be making any determination on the integrity of the design, but innovation is encouraged.

If you are looking for inspiration, Rapala and Halco produce some of the best nose tow lures in the world. The judges will be looking for innovation.

The winners will be acknowledged at the dinner as part of the Lure Expo.

Barring mishap, they will also feature in an episode of the Australian Fishing Network’s Fishing Show hosted by Nigel Webster

and will be featured in Freshwater Fishing Australia and Fishing Monthly magazines.

There will be a People’s Choice Award voted on

by Lure Expo attendees with no prize.

Lures need to arrive by 30 April to be considered – although donations for the charity auction can be accepted after that time.

I hope that the luremakers will get behind this initiative. Please don’t avoid participating because you think another maker will knock it out of the ballpark and make you look bad. Be part of the innovation and exciting things that various makers are pursuing, and you will be helping a good cause that will benefit many in our community.

If you or someone you care about is suffering, please get them to contact Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636 or Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Check out the Beyond Blue website, and talk to your loved ones and your GP. I wish everyone the best of luck. – Frank Prokop ENTRIES Post entries to: Frank Prokop 12 Lorica Cove Hillarys WA 6025 More information: fprokop60@gmail.com.

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61

Autumn months mean more surface activity HORSHAM

James Perry

March is here and the long hot days are fading away as distant memories of the summer that was.

Autumn signals a change in the air. As the sun becomes slow to rise, this offers a chance for the morning fog to linger.

For those keen anglers who love to target trout on the region’s many lakes, this

is a special time of the year.

Early morning sessions will see the abundance of surface activity that we longed for over summer.

Under the cover of morning fog and with a slight ripple on the water, fly anglers will be in fishing nirvana as the resident trout take to the surface for a morning feed.

If trout aren’t your ideal species to target, you’re in luck – March is one of those crossover months when all the local species

Zach Stevens landed this healthy brown trout on a mudeye at Lake Fyans.

are easily targeted. From Aussie natives like Murray cod, golden perch and Australian bass through to introduced species like trout and redfin, the greater Wimmera region has you covered.

The Wi m m e r a River has been fishing exceptionally well this year and I expect the coming month to be a continuation of this. Sunrise and sunset sessions walking the banks have been very rewarding for those targeting golden perch. Rather than setting up in one spot, it’s best to keep moving and concentrate of targeting undercut banks and major snags. Be sure to work sharp corners and narrowed sections with higher flows, as these are key feeding lines for a hungry yella or redfin.

For bait it’s hard to go past a bunch of worms weighted about 3ft below a float. This method should see less snags than a rig fished off the bottom and you can use the current to your advantage to drift your bait into the snag. For the lure angler, it is hard to go past the effectiveness of a chatterbait or spinnerbait.

The standout lures have been smaller, purple or red spinnerbaits with gold blades that are reasonably snag resistant. Soft plastics rigged with beetle spin arms are also worth a go.

Lake Fyans has maintained great condition over summer and the proof is in the quality of trout that are being consistently caught. A mudeye under a bubble float has always

DAM LEVELS brought to you by w w w. b a r g a i n b o a t b i t s. c o m . a u

Dam............................... % Full

Dam............................... % Full

Dec Jan Feb

Cairn Curran

76

Dec Jan Feb Mulwala (Yarrawonga) 82 91 96 Newlyn 92 84 72 Nillahcootie 103 97 87 Rocklands 42 40 37 Taylors 76 74 68 Tullaroop 72 68 65 Upper Coliban 100 98 98 Waranga 61 60 46 Wartook 96 85 74 William Hovell 102 99 92

72 69

Dartmouth 87 89 89 Eildon

74 74 70

Eppalock

86 83 79

Fyans

83 76 71

Greens

66 67 64

Hepburn

101 82 64

Hume

76 68 60

Lauriston

94 91 89

Malmsbury 57 45 31

(All levels correct at time of going to press. Dam levels can change at any time, so please check with local authorities to ensure safe boating and fishing.)

62

MARCH 2018

Warren Rickard fooled this beast of a redfin with a StumpJumper on a recent trip to Wartook.

Gage Wright with one of the many yellas caught on a Spinwright spinnerbait during a recent session on the Wimmera River. been the go-to method to land a solid trout here, but don’t discount other options. With the exposed weed beds at the recent water levels, flicking a bent minnow-style lure along the edges of the weeds is a great way to target a cruising trout looking for an easy feed.

Due to the water clarity natural coloured lures are normally best here. Fly anglers will also have a great time working the weedy edges. As always take the time to match the hatch; if in doubt, tie on a classic like a Mrs Simpson or a Woolly Bugger with a nymph trailing behind. If trolling is more your style, it’s hard to go past a classic Celta or Tassie Devil.

Lake Wartook continues to produce solid redfin for those that manage to unlock the code of this majestic lake. Wartook doesn’t get the volume of anglers that

the other local lakes do and I can only put this down to the twisty mountain road to access it and the horror stories of people ploughing their outboard motors into one of the many sunken stumps within the lake.

It’s these very things that draw a certain breed of angler to this lake.

It’s a kayaker’s paradise.

Trolling small-bibbed minnow lures like the ever-popular StumpJumper is a great starting point; a typical tackle box for Wartook should consist of a good selection of small blades and vibes, bibbed minnows from 30-70mm and a few different soft plastics. Gold, silver and hues of brown seem to be the most consistent colour choices in this mighty lake.

Working the deep water along the wall is always a great way to get your day started.

Liam Lannen’s dedication and skill landed him this decent cod.

Cod on comeback trail ROBINVALE

Rod Mackenzie codmac@bigpond.net.au

With the full wrath of summer frying everything in its path angling has been a dusk or dawn affair over the past month. Slip, slop and slap are mandatory at this time of year and while the buff is no fashion statement, it does a great job of protecting the neck and face from the scorching sun.

Cod catches remain the same in the Robinvale area with only the odd small fish caught on bait. As big cod go, this once bountiful section of river is all but cooked for at least another five or six years, so long as it doesn’t take another black water hit. Golden perch are the mainstay of the catch with good numbers on bait both above and below the weir at Euston.

Wemen too is fishing well for golden perch on bait with the odd fish taken on lures.

Carp are ever-present and their size is very impressive

with plenty pushing the 10kg bracket. Wemen has had few cod reports with most anglers looking further afield to scratch their green fish itch.

It seems the road to green fish glory has wound its way back into Swan Hill. Over the past two seasons anglers have noticed Murray cod numbers starting to improve and perhaps we are set to see a return to the once vibrant fishery that predated the 2010-11 black water fish kill that devastated the local Murray cod population.

It’s taken no less than eight years but anglers are finally starting to catch some good-sized Murray cod locally from the Murray River with some fish measuring over the metre mark. This is great news for both local and traveling anglers, as it opens up new water and opportunities to catch one of these iconic fish. Make no mistake – as a tourism drawcard there are few fish on the planet that are the equal to these freshwater giants. It’s estimated that in Victoria alone anglers

specifically targeting Murray cod contribute approximately $59 million a year to the economy.

Cod anglers will travel great distances to put a bend in the line and as the word quickly spreads the Murray River at Swan Hill is already starting to become a hive of angling activity. In mid-January a trio of keen cod anglers from Warracknabeal made the journey following the word of cod on the chew.

Ben Spicer and his wife Sarah were joined by sister-in-law Emma Koschitzke for a few days on the Murray in the hopes they might tempt a cod.

It was an early start and by lunch time Saturday they were off the water having boated no less than six Murray cod ranging from 47cm through to a thumping 108cm. Emma caught the biggest cod saying she was very excited when it first popped to the surface and couldn’t believe how big it was. This is Emma’s first 1m+ Murray cod. The group also had several hard strikes that failed to hook up, so

Ben Spicer and Emma Koschitzke with her impressive 108cm Murray cod, which she caught from the Murray River at Swan Hill trolling a green StumpJumper. there was plenty of cod action on the lures.

Other good catches over the weekend included another fish over the metre mark caught by Grant Wells upstream of the Pental Island Caravan Park on a lure.

Several other cod over 80cm were also caught locally on bait, which included both yabbies and grubs.

With the water stable and the clarity improving we will no doubt be hearing of more great catches from

the Murray River at Swan Hill. Let’s hope these great catches are just the beginning of a fishery that’s on the mend and well on its way to once more becoming a favourite destination for keen Murray cod anglers.

Mulwala Murray cod are going off for March YARRAWONGA

Tony Bennett codclassic@bigpond.com

Without doubt, autumn is the prime time to be sharpening your hooks and looking to Lake Mulwala in search of a mighty Murray cod or two.

Mulwala continues to produce cod day after day, regardless of weather conditions, fishing pressure

– be it a hardbody, surface lure, crankbait, swimbait or spinnerbait – you will be in with a better-than-average chance of encountering some action.

An important factor at the moment seems to be the area and water quality. The lake tends to have different current lanes running through it, and with this comes a build-up of slimy suspended green weed in places. As pointed out by gun angler Jamie Stewart, fish

Cain Peatling’s 101cm swimbait-eating beauty. or other variables; it’s the number one cod hunting ground in Australia.

Advising on ‘best methods’ for fishing Mulwala sounds like a broken record – they don’t change much. Casting or trolling

won’t be holding in these areas, just like we humans would be looking for a different option if our air quality was impacted.

The lake is seeing a mass build-up of weed beds at the moment. If you can find the edges of these or areas with

large open pockets, you will see yourself in the prime fishing areas. The best times of day have been morning and into the evening with the surface and sub-surface fishing being standouts.

Looking back, there were plenty of reports of cod being caught throughout early January with catch rates slowing towards the end of month. Be it barometer or water temperature, something had them shutting their mouths tightly for a week or so.

A special mention must go to the Peatling brothers Cain and Brent. Traditionally known as the ‘Banana Boat,’ especially with the luck (or lack of it) that Brent brings to the team, this title was well and truly shaken off when Brent landed a true monster measuring 122cm. Shortly after Cain got into the action himself with one of his own measuring in at 101cm.

I had a great day fishing with the three Miller boys from Moulamein: Ely, Ethan and Archie. After some casting tuition the boys were hot to trot. Ethan quickly picked up two fish (51 and 49cm) casting spinnerbaits. Then it was Ely’s turn when it got dark. Some 69 and 92cm fish were his rewards off the surface and there was no happier kid in the country.

As always, there was plenty of action downstream in the river. Amongst the plethora of smaller cod, trout cod, carp, silver perch and the odd golden, some respectable fish were reported. The secret to

the bigger fish were big baits, especially good-sized yabbies.

The competition season is upon us, so there are a couple more coming up in the near future. The next is the His & Hers Partners Classic on 3 March – it’s a great day for understanding couples to share time together in the boat. To round out the competition season is the Cod Nationals, on 15-18 March.

This one is four days of serious tournament fishing for the dedicated green fish angler. It’s guaranteed that once you have fished a Cod Nationals you will never miss it again.

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The late flyfishing season continues this month JINDABYNE

Steve Williamson steve@swtroutfishing.com.au

Another summer is over and when we look back a few months it was a strange summer with a late start, but when the heat arrived it arrived with a vengeance. I can’t remember so many weeks of continual heat without a cooler change. The positive thing about the heat was it triggered the insect hatches and, while late, the flyfishing season finally kicked in.

There is plenty of good flyfishing yet to come in March as well.

On Lake Jindabyne water temperatures remained lower than normal early and then when the surface water warmed up the trout went deep.

This only made conditions perfect for downrigging and we are still experiencing some of the best deep water trolling for years.

From now on the nights are going to get cooler; the water temperature is sure to drop and the trout will be seen feeding closer around the edges of the lake once again, making the shorebased anglers happier.

Once again it was good to see so many rainbow trout caught over the last season.

For boat trollers, the best way to start off the day’s trolling in March will be by trying surface lines with lures to about 2m at first light, maybe with a lead core line at three colours to take the lures to 4-5m as a backup.

If you have been out a while and there are no bites, don’t persist, get out your downriggers and start at 35ft with a lure drop back of 4m, and you should start to see some fish. As the day brightens further, go to 45ft by mid-morning for the best fishing. On cloudy or rainy days you can surface fish until about 9am before going deeper.

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trolling areas this month will be deep water off the Lion and Cub islands or the deeper water off Hatchery Bay and Hayshed Bay. Sids Bay through to Rushes Bay will fish well early in the day for big brown trout, but the first hour of light will be the time to be there.

Lure spinning in the lake will improve as the month progresses and working the same sort of lures as the boat trollers around the edges of the shallow bays in about 4m of water will be the best way to pick up a bigger fish, but it must be early morning or else you might have to wait until dark.

If it is windy, and windy days are quite often good days in summer, try some of the heavier Tasmanian Devils in green and gold or even yellow; throw them out into the wind in deeper water and retrieve slowly.

Bays like Creel, Hatchery and the Snowy Arm all fish well. As the sun rises, change to a winged lure and cast further out over drop-offs, letting the lure sink before you retrieve with a slow wind.

Over this month the best lake bait fishing will be early and late in the day with scrub worms off the bottom teamed up with some artificial bait as the sun gets higher. Worms under a float are another alternative if you can’t get any mudeyes, which are slowly getting harder

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Tom Short with a great brown trout caught downrigging on a Willys Special Tasmanian Devil lure. to collect due to the dry weather. The best bait fishing areas are Creel Bay, Hatchery Bay and Curiosity Rocks in the deeper water.

The rivers will on average be a little more fishable over the coming month. Lure anglers are getting a chance to fish the alpine streams where the fishing has been good and plenty of small fish are being caught. Some of the lures to try will be small 3cm and 5cm minnows in natural colours as well as bladed spinners. You can even try some smaller soft plastics, which are becoming very popular in Snowy Mountains trout waters.

Come into my shop and check out the Strike Tiger soft plastics.

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at the moment, the best fishing has been early in the morning and there have been a few wind lanes about. If you see the ducks and sea gulls on the water this is a tell-tale sign that they are eating insects on the surface.

Some of the best lake flyfishing is over the coming months as the water cools.

This year, with so much weed around the edges of the lake we should see some big fish caught. Try any of the streamer patterns such as black Woolley Buggers and Williamson’s Goldfish.

Olive green nymphs and shrimp patterns are also worth a try. The South Arm, Creel Bay and Sids Bay are all great.

On the rivers the best flyfishing is in the evenings and there should still be

MARCH ROUNDUP - THE BEST OF THE BEST! Best method:....................... Lake trolling lead lines early then downriggers at 35ft Best depth:................................................................................... 6ft early then 35ft Best lake lure:............. Tasmanian Devil yellow wing or Willy’s Special number 111 Best lake area:...............................................Deep water off Lion and Cub islands Best fly method:.............................. Dry fly – Hopper patterns and Yellow Humpies Best river:..........................Thredbo River, and the alpine streams are worth a look

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plenty of evening rises and fantastic dry flyfishing for a few weeks yet. The alpine streams are still looking good too and plenty of small fish are being caught on dry fly.

Fly selection isn’t too critical in these streams but placement is, or else you’ll just scare all the fish. Try a small Hopper pattern, Royal Wulff or Royal Humpy and a caddis moth fly is a good option. Try the lower Mowamba near the weir on the Dalgety Road.

Until next month, I hope you catch the big one.

• If you want to know more about the latest in fishing conditions, check out our latest reports on Facebook at www.facebook. com/LJTFA or check out my website at www. swtroutfishing.com.au.

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Cod and trout action as the water cools down WANGARATTA

Robbie Alexander

Summer ended up being much hotter than I would have liked with a prolonged heatwave during January, which put the brakes on what was a fantastic run of amazing Murray cod fishing.

This month I predict the shorter days and cooler nights might just lend themselves to improved Murray cod fishing and the fishing should be pretty good.

MURRAY COD Firstly, let me start by saying that March is not the best time of the year to catch Murray cod in the Wangaratta region, nor is it the worst. After summer, as the water starts to cool down during autumn, the Murray cod fishing starts to wind down and become a little bit more hit and miss. The good news is that March is the most reliable autumn month to fish for Murray cod in the Wangaratta area; it’s just a bit slower than February.

I find during March that my evening fishing sessions on the banks of the local waterways tend to drop from four or five cod per night on average to two or three.

I also find that I have some of my best fishing during March as well as some of my worst, which is testimony to the hot and cold autumn Murray cod fishing in the Wangaratta area.

During March I like periods of high stable barometer, particularly towards the end of such periods when there may be a storm or wind change to drop the barometer rapidly.

The high barometer is good, but the sudden change can be better. After the front passes and the wind swings around the cod fishing usually slows right down.

Of course these are basic rules of thumb and they can be proven wrong at any given time. All I can do is share with you what works for me.

TROUT March can see a sudden increase in trout fishing action across North East Victoria. As soon as the nights start to cool down and the days get shorter, the water temperature can drop and in turn can fire the trout up.

Many of the trout will be underweight and malnourished, looking to fatten up and gain condition prior to their annual migration upstream later on in the autumn to spawn.

Early March will definitely be worth a try if you’re targeting trout in the streams. If the fishing is slow, then wait a couple of weeks and try again in the middle of the month once the water has cooled a bit, because at some stage they

Sandy Hector caught this very dark Murray cod on the last day of a very hot two-week spell on the outskirts of Wangaratta.

This trout was caught on a black Strike Tiger nymph soft plastic last March. Black ‘is the new black’ during March. Black soft plastics, black spinners and live crickets should all work well.

Flyfishing can be a great way to fish the streams during March, as the water cools down and the fishing heats up. This is the author’s favourite combination – the Royal Stimulator dry fly with some type of black bead-headed nymph suspended underneath.

Jack Tiver with his first-ever Murray cod caught on his grandparent’s farm using a Native Lures spinnerbait.

Lake Buffalo can be a great place to target redfin. While a boat or kayak is great, it’s not a necessity, as there is a lot of access for the shore-based fisher.

will just switch on.

When fishing for trout during March my favourite colour is black. There are a lot of black bugs in the environment during March, with the main bug being crickets. March and April can be fantastic times of the year to go bait fishing for trout using crickets as bait.

Fish the cricket with a small hook, pinned gently through the back of the cricket just behind the top of the wings. Use a little bit of line floatant such as Gink or Aquel to grease the line around the hook and bait just to assist it to stay on top, or to at least to slow the sink rate.

The Ovens River upstream of Bright and the Buckland and Buffalo rivers in their upper reaches will be worth trying. Sadly the Rose River is not the great trout stream that it once was and I receive very few reports of trout being caught there these days.

REDFIN March can be a fantastic time of the year to go redfin fishing in both Lake William Hovell and Lake Buffalo.

Last year in Lake Buffalo the redfin fishing was truly phenomenal during autumn and I am seriously hoping for that to happen again this autumn.

Lake Buffalo can be a bit more hit and miss than

Lake William Hovell, which is usually quite a consistent redfin fishery during March.

I love to fish Lake William Hovell from my kayak, fishing with deep diving lures such as the Halco Crazy Deep, or casting soft plastics such as the Strike Tiger 2” or 3” curl-tail grub in whitebait pearl colour. As a rule of thumb I find the smaller redfin in the shallower water and the larger redfin down

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Later in the month it may be possible to pick up a trout or two at Lake William Hovell by flatline trolling with winged lures such as Tassie Devils or small minnow-type lures either before sunrise or after sunset. This is very subject to the weather, as this will only be possible if we get some below-average temperatures or aboveaverage rainfall during March.

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Natives coming on the chew SHEPPARTON

Nick Brown teamriverrats@hotmail.com

Finally, another hot and dry summer is over and now outside conditions seem perfect to target natives in both the Goulburn and Broken rivers.

As I write this article the long-range forecast is for more dry weather, which will help clean the river right up. The water clarity at the start of February in both local rivers was perfect for lure fishing, with heaps of reports of smaller cod being caught on spinnerbaits during the day and surface lures in the evening.

Locally made 4D Spinnerbaits and Pirates in red and black have been the hottest lures to use. Those casting surface lures have found the Codger surface lures and the Jackall Pompadours are working best, mostly in the Broken River towards Dookie.

Both weirs in the Broken River have been very quiet recently due to the dry end to summer. We didn’t really experience too many big rain events that see the fishing go nuts in those locations, so the fish have been a little more spread out.

Bait fishing around the Toolamba area has been great lately, with fresh bardi grubs and scrub worms working best for cod and shrimp/worm cocktails working best for yellowbelly around the fasterflowing waters.

Down towards Undera has fished well in the Goulburn, with a lot more smaller cod being caught around the 30-40cm mark. These fish have been all caught on cheese from the bank casting hard into the snags not too far from the bank.

LOCAL CHANNELS The Main Eastern Channel yet again has been going crazy, with plenty of native fish being caught in almost every area along the channel system.

There have been reports coming in of good numbers of fish caught upstream of Lemnos, which is an indication the fish in the system move around. This area was electro fished prior to winter weed poisoning last year, with hundreds of natives taken from the area and relocated.

The usual locations of bridge pylons and drop bars have produced the most amounts of native fish in the past months. Reports of redfin in the main body of water have been low but I have

heard more reports of redfin being caught from the smaller channels around channel road and river road Kialla.

The Inlet Channel at Waranga Basin has been fishing well over the summer months for those casting lipless crankbaits and spinnerbaits.

All species have been represented in the reports with cod, yellowbelly and redfin all smashing the same types of lures both big and small.

WARANGA BASIN The basin has been fishing well in recent times, with the majority of fish being caught either trolling smaller diving lures or working ice jigs in the schools. Fish up to 40cms have been caught along the wall area and towards the caravan park.

The fish seem to be more scattered at the Harrimans Road end of the lake, with the odd report of redfin around the 30cm mark being caught in about 15ft of water.

There have been a couple of reports of yellowbelly being caught around some of the larger rocks and drop offs, but yellowbelly have been tough to find consistently this past summer.

The water temperatures should drop off as the month goes on, but this normally

doesn’t have a huge effect on the basin, with March and April among some of the best months to fish Waranga.

Trolling or using sounders to find the schools on the go and casting at these fish will work well, or you can sit on top of them with a generous bunch of worms.

SHEPPARTON LAKE There has been plenty of action and activities around the Shepparton Lake area in past months and the fishing has been just as good as the events.

Many locals have been fishing the lake since the continuation of the weed dredging, as we now can access a lot more water.

In the past, the grass hill and boat ramps have been the easiest locations to fish, but the rowing channel has a lot less weed in it. The edges have also been dredged, which means you can now spread out when you fish.

Kayaks and boats are still the best way to fish lures at the lake, as you can judge where the weed starts and finishes easier.

Cod and yellowbelly have been smashing lipless crankbaits and smaller spinnerbaits in the evenings, with small trout and silver perch taking baits around the

Tom Hanning with a Murray cod he pulled out of the sticks in the Goulburn River. edges under floats.

There were a few legal size cod caught and released in late January, which is a great sign that the channel cod that were transferred last year are doing well.

KIALLA LAKES There have been a lot of good reports from the Kialla Lakes lately.

Yellowbelly are being caught on bait around the willow trees in Lake 1. Those who are using bait have found the trees very productive, and they have also reported floated baits are working well around the banks in about 4ft of water.

The small Lake 2 has been producing some monster carp

on corn and worms, with some fish measuring in over 60cm.

Lure fishing has been a bit harder as of late, but I would expect more reports to come in over March, as like Waranga Basin, Kialla fishes very well in March and April.

CRAIGMUIR LAKE Craigmuir Lake has been the red-hot redfin spot in the area recently, with fish being caught up to 35cm.

The weed has made it tough at Craigmuir, so rigging plastics weedless has been the best method for lure anglers.

Bait anglers using unweighted heaps of worms or floated baits have been having the most success.

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Anglers making the effort have been rewarded BALLARAT

Shane Stevens

Anglers around the Ballarat district have a host of waters to fish at any one time; it’s just a matter of which lake, reservoir or river is fishing well at any given time.

Nowadays with the advent of social media, anglers are more than happy to post online where they are catching fish, what they are catching them on and even the times of day, which takes a lot of guesswork out for other anglers.

Social media is also monitored by Fisheries Victoria, and it’s a great platform for them to gain information on how their fish stockings from previous years have gone. This can

also give them evidence to increase stockings in particular waters if the fishing has been excellent, which is a win-win for us anglers, so keep posting your photos, pictures, reports and information.

I think the current fishing around the state overall has been excellent and this has been driven by the Target One Million campaign by Fisheries Victoria, which aims to have a million recreational anglers here in Victoria by 2020; with increased fish stocking throughout the state, I’m sure we’ll reach our target.

Fishing around the district has been a bit light on for reports. It may be the hot weather has put a few anglers off hitting our waters. Anglers who have hit the lakes, reservoirs

and rivers around Ballarat have been rewarded for their efforts.

Lake Wendouree is the pick of the fisheries in the district once again with plenty of anglers catching quality trout, redfin, tench and unfortunately some European carp. God knows how they got into the lake but by the size of the one that I saw they are certainly growing. It’s a bit of a concern if they start breeding. Hopefully they will be controlled by the pending carp virus that is going to be released around 2019.

Ben Young has been out getting amongst some lovely brown and rainbow trout on surface lures. Bent minnow-style lures are a favourite lure, and the trout and redfin in Wendouree love them. Whether you Ben Young caught and released this magnificently coloured brown trout casting a bent minnow-style surface lure. Photo courtesy of Ben Young.

Nathan Angee with a beautifully coloured Yarrowee River brown trout. Nathan caught this beauty on an Ecogear MX48 lure in the rainbow trout pattern. Photo courtesy of Nathan Angee.

fish from a drifting boat or from the shore, the fish find them irresistible; they work sensationally due to the shallow nature of the lake.

The lures only dive to about 6” under the surface, which is a bonus with the weed in Wendouree.

Ben has recently been fishing the bents out of a drifting boat along the many weeds beds that are around Wendouree. On one of his most recent trips he landed several browns over 60cm and a few smaller rainbows and redfin. I have also been out casting the bents on Wendouree employing the same method as Ben with excellent results on lovely brown and rainbow trout.

Kenny Terry has been out chasing the redfin in

Wendouree, once again casting lures out of a drifting boat with excellent results nailing some magnificent reddies including his personal best, a 42cm model on a spawning brown trout Bullet Lure.

Land-based angler Riley Sternberg is nailing plenty of redfin as well. These catches include a couple of redfin

I mentioned at the start of the fishing season that the Yarrowee River is certainly worth a look during the warmer months.

With low water flows the trout will be holed up and looking at anything that is cast or drifted through the larger pools. Nathan Angee has been casting small hardbodied Ecogear MX48

The author nailed this lovely 54cm brown trout on a Bent Minnow on Lake Wendouree.

Left: Kenny Terry landed his PB 42cm redfin on a spawning brown trout Bullet Lure. Photo courtesy of Danielle Innes. Right: Riley Sternberg snagged another cracking Lake Wendouree redfin on a 2.5” pumpkinseed ZMan Grub soft plastic. Photo courtesy of Riley Sternberg.

over 40cm on soft plastics and a thumping European carp. Riley mentioned that he has seen quite a few others in around the ferry landing area of Wendouree, but has only been able to tempt the one.

Lake Wendouree will continue to fish well over the coming months. Timing will be the key to anglers having success. With the warm weather and bright blue skies the trout and reddies will have their heads down and bums up and be hard to tempt during the day. My suggestion is to fish early mornings, evenings and after dark with mudeyes, flies, lures and plastics.

lures with excellent results; he has landed some excellent 40cm+ brown trout, which is a very good size for a small river like the Yarrowee.

There will be plenty of grasshoppers and crickets at the moment that will get blown onto the water with hungry trout ready to eat them – mimic these insects and you’re on a winner.

The local waters worth a look for a feed of tasty redfin over the next month are the Moorabool, Cosgroves and Newlyn reservoirs. Casting soft plastics, lures, a bunch of worms or a small yabby fished on a running sinker rig will bring them undone. Fish evenings and at first light.

MARCH 2018

67

It’s a magical March at the lovely Lake Eildon EILDON

Daniel Piazza

As usual, Lake Eildon is open for business and will be producing great days out for all. On my last few trips I have been trying new methods to catch fish, some of the new ways I’m approaching my target fish and days out are to try new lures new areas and spend days out just trying to enjoy the surroundings that the lake has to offer.

Instead of blasting off from the boat ramp to the rock walls that I had the most success on a week prior, I’m researching new areas on maps and trying to find as much information as I can before I head out into the unknown.

The key is to be persistent. On my last trip I found two cod 50m away from each other in a small but very deep and heavily timbered bay just on the way to the power lines in the main arm. I counted 200 casts for two fish. It pays to remember

if you’re searching new grounds for cod there can be a lot of R&D behind the photos taken – don’t think it’s easy. Casting a massive surface lure can be very tiring and boring at times.

I only cast surface lures at night and until about 8am; as soon as the sun is up over the hill I go deeper.

My weapon of choice is a Zerek Flat Shad Pro in the redfin pattern weighing in at 52g! It can get a little heavy after a few hundred casts.

On this occasion I removed the weedless hook supplied and replaced it with a jighead around 20g, so my casts were sharper and more accurate.

In these small confined bays the fish are very alert and know when someone is walking up their driveway.

Distance is the key. I sit a fair way from the shoreline and pump casts half a metre apart, making sure I don’t miss a chance at saying hello to a fish.

I like working a snag from different angles, sometimes unloading 25 casts! Sometimes you get

followed, which is usually a warning to back off; if this happens give that fish time to relax for 15 minutes or, if you’re prepared with other rods ready to fire, have a surface lure and big willow bladed spinnerbait with a big trailer soft plastic. This can entice the fish to attack.

The bay I tried is up towards the power lines on the right hand side and has more timber than Bunnings.

I spend a lot of time in the

same area and only get through one, maybe two bays each trip. There are plenty of big cod at the lake and some people are figuring out the secrets to finding them.

In my last article I was talking about finding big redfin – a lot of these bays are heavily populated by redfin, so match the hatch. Also try new lures, as sometimes cod can be like kids in a candy shop – if they haven’t seen it, they’ll take it.

There are plenty of cod at the lake and dedicated anglers are figuring out the secrets to finding them.

A decent perch caught from Eildon recently.

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Gary Constantine

The Goulburn River has been at a constant 12°C and had a steady flow around 5000ML, which

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massive schools of redfin about 5” long on the surface every trip and that’s a good sign for the pecking order of the lake. With lots of small redfin around this year’s trout spawn may be the one to remember. I’ll start talking about trout and how to target them in the next few issues as the temperatures start to cool off a bit, and I’ll be talking about flyfishing the wind lanes out of your boat on the lake.

Sit tight – the cold season is going to be a great one jam-packed full of big cod and huge trout.

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There are still some yellas that are a bit slow on the schooling up process and I think this may be caused by the pressure and attention they get early in the season being targeted by bait. The places to try are around the Bonnie Doon area and up the Ford Inlet areas. At this time of year they can be up any of the feeder rivers that have decent oxygen levels.

Trolling hardbody divers to 5m is a good way to find a few fish, or just move from tree to tree with worms or soft plastics.

I’m still seeing absolutely

has been ideal for the trout anglers.

Drifting unweighted scrubbies within 10ft of the bank has been quite successful for rainbow and brown trout up to 3lb but small hardbodies, Celta type lures and soft plastics have been working well too out a little wider targeting the overhanging tree branches and areas just below rapids.

While kayaking down the Goulburn, it’s worth casting towards the bank, as one angler found out when they landed a very nice 6lb rainbow trout.

The Rubicon River has had several brook trout around the 2lb mark, small rainbow and brown trout and even the odd salmon caught on soft plastics and bladed lures. Snobs Creek has been doing well, and the Acheron and Steavenson rivers are also producing a good number of small, healthy trout as well.

On the fly, caddis, hopper,

mudeye, cricket, nymph and white moth patterns fished on the morning or evening rises are working well.

The rivers above the lake such as the Big River and the upper Goulburn have slowed a little, with only a total of 500ML feeding into Lake Eildon, which means the rivers will have warmed up, but the deeper holes are still producing brown trout on scrubbies and Celtas.

Eildon Pondage was restocked a few times since the week before Christmas, with several thousand ready-to-catch rainbow trout and more recently 150 ex-brood stock rainbow trout and 150 ex-brood stock brown trout – all 2-5kg. With the demand on the water downstream, it has meant that the pondage temperature has been between 10-14°C, which kept the trout active for most part of the summer period even over the really hot days.

PowerBait, the local dough, mudeyes and scrubbies have been the pick of the baits, while the pink Tassie Devil is back to the number one lure, but the crab pattern Kroc, Rapalas, Pegron minnow, and even StumpJumpers have all worked well for the larger trout.

The places to target when the water is high are Cemetery Point, the back of the Eildon caravan park, the upper of the lower pondage and Bourke Street. When it’s low or in the process of filling the football oval and Riverside Drive have been doing well. An out-of-the-box catch for one angler was a 59cm yellowbelly, which he picked up on a soft plastic along riverside drive.

There are still quite a few snakes getting around in the scrubby areas close to the rivers, so be aware of where you are walking.

Red and yellow to start autumn BONNIE DOON

Andy McCarthy

Now that we’re on the way to autumn conditions the fishing is going to come on strong. The crowds have well and truly disappeared, so it’s back to normal for us locals – and it’s about time.

The reddies are well and truly on fire and keeping anglers busy.

Over the Australia Day weekend a couple of mad keen young fishos, Jack ‘Digger’ How and his mate Ozzy, teamed up and absolutely smashed the reddies picking up 80 in one session. Other times they’ve gotten 20 or so using vibes. The lads did very well for themselves and put a fair old dint in the carp population, catching dozens of these monsters in the creek mouths.

Toby Schott with a decent 78cm cod.

Relax and enjoy delicious food and warm hospitality.

Digger with a couple of small reddies from Bonnie Doon.

Ozzy with his nice little yellowbelly just before release.

Ozzy also picked up a nice yella right near the bridge. It’s great to see young blokes fishing land-based as well as on their kayaks, just constantly casting.

The cod have still been on the chew, with numerous reports coming in of late.

They’re not quite as active as in December, but there are more than enough to get us all interested and keep us coming back to try our luck.

The water has been quite dirty due to the massive amount of boat traffic since Christmas, but it will clear up significantly now, which will be better for us anglers. It has been interesting talking to anglers who have been fishing land-based with bait and doing great.

If you are going to do a spot of land-based fishing, see if you can find yourself a reasonably steep rocky point with a tree or two and you are in the game.

Old Mate Worms have been the standout with anglers catching yellas, reddies, carp and the odd little cod as well. Fishing with worms like this is like getting a box of chocolates – you never know what you’re gonna get.

Please be diligent with your safety gear and follow the guidelines. After the recent death of a young man, our thoughts go out to his family and girlfriend at this sad time. Tragedies can happen in an instant, so be safe everyone.

Open for breakfast from 6.30am everyday Coffee Light meals Pastries Cakes Bread 10 Main St, Eildon Victoria 3713 03 5774 2362 0438 881 629

EILDON Bait & Tackle

7-8 Main St, Eildon Victoria 3713 • Huge range of lures and tackle • Fresh bait • Camping gear and accessories • Marine and auto spares

Come in and see Gazza for all the latest fishing news

03 5774 2712

Southern Solo Skiff Luke Tazo with a nice yella picked up on a vibe.

Contact: Andy McCarthy – 0404 848 083

MARCH 2018

69

Hoping for less traffic BENDIGO

Roger Miles codhuntertours@bigpond.com

The Bendigo region has been experiencing some very warm weather over the last few weeks. The downside of this warm weather is that we are now seeing blue green algae warnings in many of our local waterways. At this stage the blue green algae is at its worst at Lake Eppalock and Cairn Curran. The local waterways have been very busy, so hopefully the amount of boat traffic will reduce over the next month.

LAKE EPPALOCK The fishing continues to be good at Lake Eppalock.

The water levels are now receding and dropping at a steady rate. Redfin are making up the majority of anglers’ captures. To have success on the redfin anglers need to be prepared to hunt around in order to locate a good school of redfin. The most productive depth range for the redfin has been 8-10m of water.

Trolling deep diving hardbody lures such as Custom Crafted Basshunter and Australian Crafted Invaders have been working well. If a good school of redfin is located then casting a wide range of soft plastics has been working; a couple of my favourite soft plastic options are Jackall Mask Vibes and Fish Arrow soft plastics. Casting blades and tail spinners has also been producing some redfin.

The productivity in the golden perch fishing has improved over the last month.

Most of the golden perch have been caught by anglers casting lipless crankbaits.

Small numbers are also being caught by anglers casting

spinnerbaits and trolling medium-sized hardbody lures. There have also been a few Murray cod caught. The largest of these was 81cm and was caught on a cast a lipless crankbait.

CAMPASPE RIVER Water clarity has been slowly improving in the Campaspe River. At this stage water clarity is the best from Barnadown to below Lake Eppalock. The productivity in the fishing has improved over the last month. Golden perch continue to make up the majority of anglers’ captures.

The most productive lure choice for the golden perch has been a combination of spinnerbaits and lipless crankbaits.

The most productive fishing times have been the first and last two hours of daylight. The fishing has been slow during the middle of the day on most days. Small numbers of redfin are being caught with the majority of these being a by-catch by anglers targeting the golden perch. The average size of the redfin has been small.

Small numbers of Murray cod have been caught by anglers casting spinnerbaits and a few Murray cod are being caught by anglers fishing surface lures during periods of low light.

CAIRN CURRAN The fishing at Cairn Curran has been average, with average numbers of redfin being caught. The most productive redfin fishing has been in the top half of the reservoir. Casting soft plastics has been the preferred technique for most anglers.

Bait fishing with worms and small yabbies has also been working. Small numbers of golden perch are also being caught.

Casting around rocky shorelines early in the morning

TARGET

Australia’s largest freshwater fish “The Mighty Murray Cod”

Join Roger on a guided fishing tour and learn how to catch our premier freshwater fish.

FISHING LOCATIONS: • The Loddon River System • Lake Eildon • Campaspe River System • Murray River (Lake Mulwala) • Many More!

P:Roger: 0427 483 286

E:codhuntertours@bigpond.com

www.codhunter.com.au 70

MARCH 2018

or late in the afternoon has been producing a handful of quality golden perch. Trolling medium-sized hardbody lures around these rocky shorelines and around the edges of standing timbers has also been a successful technique.

The occasional Murray cod has also been caught by anglers trolling medium to large hardbody lures.

LODDON RIVER The fishing in the Loddon River has been producing mixed results lately. Water clarity continues to be patchy, and in those sections where the water clarity is poor the lure fishing has been disappointing. In the cleaner sections of the Loddon River the fishing has been good.

Over the last month the boat traffic was ridiculous.

Some days over 20 boats were fishing some of the most popular sections of the river.

This amount of boat traffic has a negative effect on the productivity in the fishing.

The amount of boats driving up and down the river shuts the fish down. Hopefully we should see the amount of boat traffic start to reduce this month.

The most productive

This golden perch was caught at Lake Eppalock on a Jackall TN65 using a burn and kill retrieve. fishing has been in the first couple and the last couple of hours of daylight.

Golden perch have been making up the majority of anglers’ captures.

The average size of the golden perch has been between 38cm and 42cm.

Small numbers of Murray cod have been caught.

Swimbaits, surface lures and spinnerbaits have been the most productive lure choices on the Murray cod

lately. We should hopefully see the water clarity improve in the shallower section of the Loddon River soon and therefore the productivity should improve.

Be very careful if you are walking the banks at this time of the year. I recently had a report from an angler who got bitten by a snake while walking the banks and fishing at the Loddon River. Luckily has was wearing long pants and the snake bite did not

fully penetrate his legs. So always keep your eyes open.

I’ve also had a couple of reports lately of some illegal fishing that has been happening on both the Loddon and Campaspe rivers. If you do see any illegal activity, please get as much information as you can and report it to 13FISH (133474) Victorian Fisheries.

These river systems are our asset and we need to look after them.

Fishing on fire across Gippy WST/STH GIPPSLAND

Steve Haughton steve@habitatcreations.com.au

Daylight savings comes to end on 1 April, leaving only one month to enjoy fishing the extended daylight hours. West and South Gippsland offer some great fishing options; target species including bass, trout, redfin, eel and carp are all fair game at this time of the year at Blue Rock Lake, and stream trout and blackfish are in many of the streams across the region.

The impressive streams of the Noojee region are a must-visit for any stream trout angler with streams meandering through farmland and thick bushland forming an impressive backdrop. The Latrobe, Toorongo and Loch rivers all hold small trout for anglers casting flies, lures or baits on light gear. No matter how big the fish are, the skill involved and the thrill of the chase are certainly well worth the effort.

Closer to Melbourne, the Tarago River flows down through Drouin West and Longwarry before entering the Bunyip River; both rivers offer good fishing with plenty of good access points along

the Tarago River. Twenty minutes north of Warragul is the picturesque Blue Rock Lake set behind the township of Willow Grove.

The northeastern banks of the lake are predominantly native bushland forming the foothills of the Baw Baw ranges.

Open farmland dominates much of the western banks with terrific land-based fishing around both boat ramps positioned nicely at either end of the lake. The Tanjil Arm located north of the lake provides the lake with its main source of water coming from the Tanjil River and is set amongst an amazing rugged landscape of native bush with plenty of submerged dead trees – ideal habitat for big bass, trout and redfin.

Heading south, the Lang Lang River always looks very inviting at this time of the year with good flow and tannin waters. There is plenty of food throughout the system, which results in some healthy brown trout and redfin swimming about. The Lang Lang River historically holds some big trout and river blackfish but access can be difficult, so it will require some adventurous spirit.

By March the stream flows can be down quite low but there is still plenty of insect action happening at the surface with beautiful warm autumn evenings.

Dry flyfishing can be very

Nathan Taylor with a thumping river blackfish caught and released in a West Gippsland stream. You don’t often see them this big but it goes to show they are out there! productive. Your approach to any stream will require stealth, as the fickle trout can be spooked very easily, especially when the stream flows are down. Trout also like waters that are welloxygenated and cool, so it is likely you’ll find them in shallow riffles where the water is flowing.

The lake levels of Blue Rock have been dropping and this will likely to continue over the next month. Over summer the lake held at 100% but as February arrived

it started dropping quickly, exposing the shoreline and improving access for landbased anglers. If an autumn break comes early this month it would be worth hitting Blue Rock to fish the shorelines as the water levels rise. Anglers with boats and kayaks should also focus their attention on trolling or casting at the shoreline.

Feel free to send me a report or photo, particularly if you have any success stories. Happy fishing!

Algae has finally disappeared CRATER LAKES

Rod Shepherd

Late summer has a few negatives when it comes to our freshwater fishing.

Our lake’s water levels are dropping and our few rivers’ flows have slowed right down; not to mention that water temperatures have risen and this is not encouraging for our salmonoid population.

However, our waterways and the fish inhabiting them do learn to cope to a certain extent and the fishing in general is humming along nicely! At this point in the season the outstanding producer of fish would have to be Lake Bullen Merri.

The reason being is that the blue-green algal

outbreak that has affected this crater lake for some time now has apparently disappeared. Usually cold weather and plenty of rainfall will do this, so for this outbreak to disappear during the height of our hot weather with little or no rain defies explanation.

But who’s arguing? It’s like the massive outbreak orfalgae that smothered nearby Lake Tooliorook last year in the middle of a cold winter with plenty of rain falling; all were trying to work out why this outbreak was hanging around. This is something those scientific boffins should look into, me thinks.

Anyway, Chinook salmon in all lengths and weights are taking a variety of baits and lures and the

only thing to remember is to fish depths of 10-15m right now, especially during the day.

An age-old tried and tested method is to anchor up in the said depth and bottom bounce baits such as cut or filleted pilchards.

Having some berley sitting down deep under the boat will increase the catch rate.

A good berley is tinned cat food (the one that has fish chunks in jelly) with bread crumbs or bran. Mix it up with your hands into a tennis ball-size shape and drop one over the side every half hour or so. I recommend using rubber gloves when doing this, otherwise your hands will stink for the best part of a week, no matter how many times you wash them.

Mixed in amongst the salmon is the occasional rainbow trout; these are often brought on board in excess of 2kg.

In low light conditions such as dawn and dusk, some Chinooks are being taken in the shallows as they round up and smash minnow schools. Static casting hardbodies and soft plastics is the go here.

Lake Elingamite’s water level is dropping and any craft over 4m would be struggling to launch. The trout appear to have gone quiet; with the water surface temperature currently sitting above 26°C in a lake where the depth maxes out at 5m, it’s totally understandable.

The redfin scene is on fire with some lovely

This Elingamite redfin appears to be current ‘average’ size coming out of the lake. specimens coming on board. The average schoolsized fish seems to be sitting around the mid 30s in length and up to 600g in weight.

Trolling or casting medium diving minnow lures such as Saemis and

Cablistas in depths around 2.5m has been working well. Any shallower and surface weed becomes a real problem. However this weed would be providing cover for the reddies to ambush prey, so don’t be afraid to get up real close.

Freshwater fish are feeding up for autumn MELBOURNE METRO

Dylan Brennan

With summer weather sticking around for the next month the freshwater fishing options a ro u n d Melbourne are as varied as they can be. While the midday temperatures can be sweltering, there is still plenty of sweetwater fishing to be done. Early morning and late afternoon can be more enjoyable in terms of weather, and these times are generally the productive hours to fish anyway.

Most freshwater species will be less cautious and actively feeding during hours of low light and anglers can use this to their advantage.

If you are concentrating on the trout, this is very much advised, as they are more temperature

sensitive than the natives.

Karkarook Park Lake is able to be fished year-round due to its depth. While the

trout can be less active in the warmer weather, fishing the lake early during the morning can be

Mohd Zahrin with a beautiful summer brown trout from the Yarra. Photo courtesy of Mohd Zahrin.

very rewarding. Fishing a very fine mist berley and a feeder cage system with maggots, or a PowerBait or dough bait mix, will bring just about any trout in the area undone.

The redfin can provide some amusement during the heat of the day while the trout are less active.

Fishing a variety of lures like vibes and small soft plastics is a good way of connecting to a few. Small freshwater yabbies around 2” in length are also good bait for the redfin, and when fished on a fine wire C10U hook, they become deadly.

Sugarloaf Reservoir has been fishing well for golden perch and redfin during the morning and afternoons, and they should continue to fish well over the next month. Beetle Spins have been an excellent way to find the goldens while smaller vibes like Megabass Vibration-X Micro and Strike Pro hummers have

been working well also, and the redfin will also have a crack at these. Just remember to work the lures slow with small hops right to the edge of the bank, as the fish will follow them right back in, especially the goldens.

The Yarra River has still been producing most of its species this month from the odd large cod down around Eltham, to some nice brown trout in the cooler waters up above Warburton. While the cod fishing is rarely red-hot, when you do come across them it can make it all worthwhile.

Large scrubworms and yabbies fished around slower sections with logjams and rockbars will normally get the attention of the cod. Yabbies fished without their claws are a good bait in the river here, and the reason most anglers take the claws off is because the yabbies

can crawl and dig into crevices and snag up the line. Just remember to keep checking them to make sure they aren’t hiding under a rock where the fish can’t find them.

If trout fishing is more your thing, the river reaches from Woori Yallock upstream have been producing the goods. You will notice a lot of lure and fly anglers the further upstream you go, and with good reason.

Fly anglers will rejoice in the fact that this time of year can be excellent for fishing dries for surfacesipping trout.

• For any of the latest metro reports and information, pop into Compleat Angler Dandenong at 241-243 Princes Highway, Dandenong, give us a call on 03 9794 9397 or jump on to the ‘Melbourne Metro Freshwater Fishing’ page on Facebook.

Bass are a highlight CTL GIPPSLAND

Will Thompson allwaysangling@bigpond.com

Bass is definitely the main target species over summer in Gippsland these days.

Our two main lakes, Blue Rock and Glenmaggie, have been fishing very well this season.

Starting at Blue Rock, the main bite has been evenings into the dark.

Cicada style lures have been the best during the late bite, however soft plastics and spinnerbaits have been doing very well

during the day time when fished deep or in the shade.

The average size of the bass has been around 28cm, but there have been some good fish of close to 40cm caught over the past month. Lake Glenmaggie has been a little tough over the past month with the erratic weather patterns and windy days.

The fish have been scattered and are being caught in around 6m+ of water on large heavily-weighted soft plastics or deep-diving hardbodied lures. There have also been a fair few carp caught as by-catch as well.

The local streams are running a little low due to lack of rain, so the trout have been tough. If you fish either very early morning or just before dark, you might be lucky to get a couple of small brown trout at 35cm.

Small spinners for the lure anglers have been the best and dry flies have been the go for the fly anglers.

• For more information, contact Will at Allways Angling in Traralgon on 5174 8544. You will get expert advice and great deals on fishing bait and tackle.

A decent Blue Rock bass caught on a Tiemco Soft shell cicada lure just on dark.

MARCH 2018

71

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Alfredton Rotary Club Competition coming up The Alfredton Rotary Club Fishing Competition is an open fishing competition for shore fishing, boat fishing, canoe and kayak fishing on and around Lake Wendouree.

The competition will take place on Sunday 18 March from 6:30am to 2:30pm.

The objective of the competition is to catch, measure, photograph and release trout (rainbow and brown), and to catch, photograph and keep redfin, which need to be caught and removed from the lake. Only one photograph per registered angler for each species can be sent for judging.

All competitors must hold a valid fishing license as per Victorian regulations. Boats, canoes

and kayaks must comply with Waterways safety requirements including the use of a PFD if required (recommended).

No lines can be in the water prior to 6:30am and all lines must be out of the water at 2:30pm. Anglers may fish a maximum of two lines in the water at any one time. Netting with a hand-held landing net or lip grips is the only assistance permissible to a competitor (junior or senior) in the

capture of a fish.

All fish must be measured and photographed on the Alfredton Rotary Fishing Competition brag mat (which will be mailed to anglers registered prior to 2 March), and must be positioned with the nose of the fish at the zero marker.

Anglers registering on the day will receive their brag mat at time of registration.

It is the responsibility of the competing angler to ensure photographs are

REGISTRATION Category.......................Online............... On the day Adults.............................. $25...............................$30 Children under 15............ $10...............................$12 • Pre-Registration via ballarattickets. com.au/event/6479 until 2 March.

• Register on the day from 6.00am at Durham Point, Lake Wendouree.

sent to the appropriate phone number correctly.

Photographs may only be uploaded via the appropriate phone number.

Any photographs received from competing anglers via email or uploaded on Facebook will not be eligible for the photograph and release section of the competition.

Prizes will be awarded for first, second and third adult anglers and junior first, second and third.

These prizes are for the fish measuring the longest in each category.

Prizes include a rudder control Fishing Kayak donated by BCF valued at $1100, a Daiwa fishing Reel donated by H. Rehfisch & Co. valued over $100, PFDs donated by

Action Watersports valued at $200, gift vouchers donated by Jono & Johnos and Nautilus Marine, and the list is growing daily.

Find the official rules for the competition online at alfredtonrotary. wixsite.com/fishingcomp.

– Alfredton Rotary Club

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Round 2

March 24-Mitchellstown (Major Creek camping area)

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Go to ifishcomps in the app store or

move about in transit; they’re really more hassle than they are worth. The Reese Tailgate Pads’ simple design makes it easier to transport cargo on the tailgate, damage-free.

Available in two sizes, there is a tailgate pad for every tub. Easy to install, both pads secure to the

points to secure the load and reduce movement while travelling.

Reese Tailgate Pads are available from Repco stores a c r o s s Australia

starting at an SRP of $49.99. Strong, easy and secure, the Reese Ratcheting Cargo Bar will protect your cargo from

slippage in transit. Most of us have at some point opened our boot to find the shopping a mess, or pulled up hard at the lights to hear the cargo slide. With the increasing number of SUVs, people movers and utes on the road, there is plenty of space to hold cargo but no way to secure it.

In response to this issue, Reese created the Ratcheting Cargo Bar, which has been designed to secure cargo from movement whilst travelling. The easyto-use design allows the bar to simply slide out to the required length before applying tension with the ratchet.

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Available from Repco stores across Australia, the Reese Ratcheting Cargo Bar is available for an SRP of $69.99.

The Reese range covers a wide variety of 4WD, ATV and marine accessories, ranging from towing and trailer accessories though to recovery, storage solutions and securing your cargo.

For more information on the range visit www. reesebrands.com. - Reese

2018 CENTRAL VIC PRO SERIES DATES Round 1.

May 6 & 7 Mulwala (DC on the Lake)

Round 2.

Dec 8 & 9 Lake Eildon (Fraser National Park)

This Series is for Teams of two only, check out the Central Vic Pro Series group on facebok for more details www.facebook.com/groups/CVLCPS/

Check out our Facebook pages:

• Central VIC Pro Series • Central VIC Lure Casters Super Series For more information contact David Nelson 0418 378 944 roundy@cvlcss.com • www.cvlcss.com

ANSA Victoria

ANSA Victoria is the peak body for Sportfishing in Victoria and encompasses all the needs of the beginner as well as the experienced angler. It represents recreational sportfishers through various affiliated clubs across Victoria.

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s t r o n g aluminium bar keeps the cargo in place over bumps, starts and stops, while the rubberended feet protect your vehicle from damage. The Reese Ratcheting Cargo Bar extends from 102cm to 178cm, and is designed to fit most boots, trays and tubs on the market.

Able to claim IGFA records Able to claim ANSA Australian records Able to claim Victorian records Participate in ANSA State Championships - with Club awards, team awards and individual awards We offer - Line class awards, length only/catch and release

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www.ansavic.com.au ansavic For more information email ansavic@bigpond.com

MARCH 2018

73

Pirtek Fishing Challenge

Celebrating the 10th Pirtek Fishing Challenge Cancer Foundation and the Peter Duncan Neurosciences Research Unit. Prostate cancer is currently the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia, and is the third most common cause of cancer death, and in 2017, there were an estimated 3,453 deaths caused by prostate cance in Australia.

These are sobering statistics, but we can work to lessen the damage by opening up the conversation about prostate cancer with loved ones and mates, which can lead to earlier detection of cancer and fewer fatalities.

The importance of supporting the research and work of the Prostate Cancer Foundation cannot be overstated. In time, we’d love to see these statistics change, and this is possible with research.

What better way to support such an important cause then a fantastic day out on the water?

Registration is affordable at $25 per angler

so you can get the whole family involved for an outdoors fishing bonanza.

PRIZES GALORE There are prizes available for each of the 19 target species across NSW/ ACT, Queensland, Victoria, the Murray/Darling Basin, the Great Dividing Range, East Coast Freshwater, Top End and Open categories.

This includes a ‘Mystery Length’ prize of $4,000 for seniors in each species division, and a cash/prize pack for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd for the longest of each species for both seniors and juniors.

For more information, head to www. pirtekfishingchallenge. com.au – FMG YOUR CHALLENGE •E nter the challenge via the website and be sure to read the terms and conditions.

• After you have registered, a limited edition Fishing Challenge cap and Fishing Challenge brag mat will be posted to you.

• The list of target species will be available via the website www.pirtekfishingchallenge.com.au at 1200 hours AEDST on Sunday, 25 February 2018.

• On Saturday, 17 March 2018 (after 6pm) you will be sent via email a repeat list of the target species plus your angler number. You can also log on to the website to download this information.

• Fishing will commence at 6am and finish at 6pm on Sunday, 18 March 2018.

• All lines must be out of the water at 6pm on Sunday, 18 March 2018.

• When you catch your target species simply lay the live fish with the nose in line with the ‘0’ (zero) measurement on the Pirtek bragmat.

• Photograph the fish so the entire length can be seen in the photograph along with your angler number.

• Check out the Photographing Your Fish page for information on how to correctly photograph your catch.

• Remember to write your angler number clearly in the white box provided on the brag mat.

• Check your photograph to ensure the whole fish is in the photograph and the nose end of the fish is in line with the ‘0’ (zero) measurement and the overall length along with the angler number is clearly visible.

TROUT (BROWN/RAINBOW) Size Range: Up to 1m, common from 30-50cm.

Tactics: In dams and lakes trout can form huge school in deep water, and this is when they can be caught trolling lures. During the cooler months they will hunt around the edges of these lakes and provide anglers with some excellent sight fishing opportunities. Trout are an opportunistic predator in streams, meaning they will investigate anything that comes into their domain. At other times, trout can sometimes be very fussy, particularly when there is a specific hatch of insects or baitfish in the area. Drifting baits, or casting small lures and flies is a good tactic in rivers.

Rigs: Running sinker rig, float rig or drift rig with 4-6lb mainline and leader, the same line weights can be used by lure anglers.

Bait: Baits of worms, crickets, grasshoppers, mudeyes and shrimps can all be successful at different times. Any small prey items that can be collected from the area you’re fishing will usually make good bait.

Lures: Winged lures trolled off a downrigger are fantastic for when trout are schooling deep. Hardbodies, small bladed spinners and soft plastics are great for trout in shallow water.

74

MARCH 2018

GREAT DIVIDING RANGE

The Pirtek Challenge is coming round again, and this year, they’ll be celebrating the Challenge’s 10th year!

The Pirtek Challenge is open to anglers across the whole of Australia.

Last year saw 8,762 competitors, and their aim this year is to beat that number! It’s an opportunity to get out on the water with some mates, have an awesome day of fishing, and be in with a chance to win a share of $210,000 worth of cash and prizes!

We want to give our readers the best possible start to this year, and we’ve got all the information you need to get started and have a cracker day on the water. This year, with more species than ever, we’re hoping to get even more anglers onboard for the challenge, so there should be a species on there for you, regardless of how and where you like to fish.

THE CAUSE Each year the Pirtek Challenge is held to raise money for the Prostate

• I f you do not receive your brag mat before Sunday 18 March, you may measure and photograph your fish using last year’s brag mat, a Fisheries measuring sticker, another competitor’s mat (with your Angler Number), or a generic brag mat.

• If you are not happy with the photograph, simply take another one.

• Quickly release the fish and try to catch a bigger one.

• Only a fish caught by the registered angler can be entered.

• Any photograph that shows a fish not alive or damaged will not be accepted.

• Any photograph which has undergone digital manipulation, i.e., photoshop, will be disqualified.

• You can only upload one photograph per angler to the website. This needs to be your biggest fish.

• Follow the directions on the website to upload your photograph.

• The upload needs to be complete by 7am AEDT, Monday, 19 March 2018.

• Any photographs uploaded after this time will not be accepted.

• If your photograph is damaged, blurry or the overall measurement of your fish is not clearly seen with your angler number the photograph will be disallowed.

• Check the website on Saturday, 24 March, 2018 to see if you’re a winner. The National Fishing Challenge committee’s decision will be final and no correspondence entered into.

Size Range: Up to 70kg and 2m, common under 1m and 10kg.

Tactics: Kingfish are ravenous pelagic hunters, and will respond to a variety of tactics, ranging from dead and live baits, to lures and even fly! They can be tricky when they are keyed into a particular forage, and matching the hatch is usually the best tactic.

Rigs: Floatline or balloon rigs are favoured by those who like targeting big kingfish.

Bait: Both live and dead baits will work, with squid and bonito strips good for dead baits, and slimies, yellowtail and squid dynamite as live baits.

Lures: Soft plastics, hardbodies and a range of topwater baits will work.

Tactics: Flathead are classic ambush predators that use camouflage to their advantage, often burying themselves in sand or mud when awaiting their prey. Drop offs, weed edges, hard rock and mud edges are all great spots for flathead. Flathead have a preference for tidal movement, either running in or running out, and don’t feed as much when the water is slack.

Rigs: A running sinker rig with 6lb braid with a 15lb leader is sufficient for bait fishing. The same goes for lure fishing, but try to attach your lures with a loop knot where possible to maximize the action of the lure.

Lures: Most lures work well on flathead, the trick is to have it in their face. Lures such as soft plastics, vibes, lipless crankbaits and hardbodied lures all catch flathead, and they’ve been known to chase down swimbaits and surface lures as well.

OPEN WATER

Size Range: Up to 130cm, common around 20-40cm.

Rigs: A fairly heavy running sinker, paternoster, or floatline rig will do fine, depending on where you’re fishing, and the use of circle hooks has taken off in recent years, as it allows the fish to hook itself and prevents fish from swallowing the hook, making catch and release possible.

Size Range: Up to 1.1m, commonly caught 30-65cm.

Bait: Flathead will eat anything they can fit in their mouth, whether it’s live, dead, big or small. Larger flathead have a preference for live baits, however large flathead are occassionally taken on dead baits.

SNAPPER

Tactics: Snapper can be found in both sheltered waters and offshore, in depths ranging from 1m, to offshore bluewater. Snapper are opportunistic and will eat many different prey items, live or dead. The trick can be finding what they want on that particular day.

FLATHEAD

COASTAL

KINGFISH

OPEN WATER

Pirtek Fishing Challenge

Bait: Dead baits of squid, pilchards, bonito fillet have worked for many, while live slimies, yellowtail and squid are fantastic if they can be gathered.

Bait: Baits as varied as scrubworms, corn, bread, dough, shrimp and grubs are all attractive to carp and the use of berley will increase your success rate dramatically.

Lures: Carp will take lures, usually as by-catch. Fly anglers can target carp in shallow water by sight fishing with small nymphs.

GOLDEN PERCH Size Range: Up to 75cm, commonly caught at 25-50cm.

Tactics: Lures and live baits are popular, and they also love to hunt down worms and grubs set on the bottom. Lures cast around fallen timber in rivers and standing timber in lakes are all successful, especially around first and last light, and the warmer periods of the year are generally preferred.

Rigs: Running sinker rig and a paternoster rig are both good options with 20lb braided main line to 20lb leader. The same line weights can be used for lure fishing.

Bait: Baits of yabby, live shrimp, worms and even smelly dead baits are successful.

Lures: Lures like Australian-made hardbodied lures, spinnerbaits and lipless crankbaits all do damage on yellowbelly.

MURRAY COD Size Range: Up to 1.8m, common from 40-80cm.

Tactics: Murray cod are a structure-loving and territorial species. Therefore, lures or baits fished or cast around big snag complexes repetitively usually get a response eventually. During periods of low light, they will often leave their lairs in search of food.

Rigs: 20-30lb should be your minimum line weights for both your mainline and leader.

Bait: Baits of yabby, live shrimp, worms and even smelly dead baits are successful.

Lures: Murray cod will eat a variety of surface lures, hardbodies, lipless crankbaits and spinnerbaits. As with bait, lures should be big and annoying to achieve the best results.

BREAM

Size Range: Up to 50cm, common from 25-35cm.

Tactics: Bream are incredibly widespread and can be found in just about every saltwater river, creek and coastal lake in the state. Bream love structure – especially rock – and if you find rocks or other hard structure in the intertidal zone, you can be sure that bream hang around it at some time of the day. Bream will also aggregate around weed and flooded grass at times. Keep the gear light when bream fishing, as this will get you more bites. If you want to catch a bream on a lure, make sure that it’s small. They’ll eat nearly every bait you can find or buy, it just needs to be presented in a natural way.

Rigs: Running sinker onto a #1 or 1/0 hook will work for the bait anglers. For the lure brigade, 2-6lb braided line connected to 6-10lb fluorocarbon or monofilament leader is ample.

COASTAL

Rigs: A medium running sinker rig, paternoster rig or float rig with 6-20lb braided line onto a 10-20lb leader. Anglers can obviously go lighter in clear water free of snags.

Bait: Because they are omnivorous almost anything found or bought should catch bream, including white bread, which is an under-used favourite.

Lures: Small hardbodied divers, smaller than your little finger, cast around rocky shores and worked with a slow, steady retrieve are hard to beat. When fish go deeper, tiny soft plastics and blades with according jighead size is a sure-fire way to pin a bream. At times, they will also rise to small surface lures.

BASS

Size Range: Up to 65cm, common from 30-40cm.

Tactics: Bass in rivers love structure, but when they spawn in winter, they will school up in open water around the tidal reaches. Bass can be a little different in the dams. If there are bony bream or other schooling baitfish present, the bass will usually school up in deep water, chasing the smaller bony bream. If there is a lot of structure around the edges and the food source in predominately insects, small fish and shrimps, the bass will feed in shallow water. Fishing where the bass are with lures or bait that mimics what food source is available is the preferred approach.

Rigs: Light braided line around 4-6lb with a fluorocarbon or monofilament leader around 8-14lb is preferred for lure fishing. The same applies for bait fishing, with unweighted, weighted and floated rigs working, depending on how deep and where the fish are holding.

COASTAL

Tactics: Smelly baits are very effective for carp. Carp will also get up into shallow water and mooch along the bottom looking for aquatic insects, and this is where fly anglers can have some fun, sometimes landing huge specimens.

MURRAY/DARLING

Size Range: Up to 1m, but more commonly encountered at 30-60cm.

MURRAY/DARLING

CARP

MURRAY/DARLING

Lures: Heavy soft plastics, jigs and vibes are favoured by those who fish in deep water, however bibbed lures can also be effective in shallower areas.

Bait: Grasshoppers, crickets, worms, mudeyes, yabbies, and particularly live shrimp are successful. Keeping baits reletively small is perferable.

Lures: Bass take a variety of lures from surface lures, diving lures, lipless crankbaits, spinnerbaits, soft plastics, jigs and even flies. Match your lures to suit where and how the bass are feeding. The trick is to let them tell you what they want.

MARCH 2018

75

TOURNAMENT CALENDAR MARCH

APRIL

MAY

JUNE AUGUST

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

3 Mar

His and Hers Partners Classic Lake Mulwala

Tony Bennett (03) 5744 1667

3-4 Mar

ANSA Victoria State Championship Glenelg River

www.ansavic.com.au ansavic@bigpond.com

6-8 Mar

ABT BREAM Series Australian Open Sydney Harbour/Hawkesbury River

abt.org.au

15-18 Mar

Cod Nationals Lake Mulwala

Tony Bennett (03) 5744 1667

18 Mar

Alfredton Rotary Club Fishing Competition Lake Wendouree

alfredtonrotary.wixsite.com/fishingcomp

20-21 Mar

ABT BREAM Series Round 3 St Helens, Tasmania

abt.org.au

24 Mar

CVLCSS Round 2 Mitchellstown

www.cvlcss.com David Nelson 0418 378 944

24-25 Mar

ABT BREAM Series Round 4 Derwent River, Tasmania

abt.org.au

7-8 Apr

ANSA Victoria State Championship Port Phillip Heads

www.ansavic.com.au ansavic@bigpond.com

21-22 Apr

ABT BREAM Series Round 5 Gold Coast

abt.org.au

5-6 May

Round 4 Hobie Kayak Bream Series Metung

www.hobiefishing.com.au

5-6 May

ANSA Victoria State Championship Apollo Bay

www.ansavic.com.au ansavic@bigpond.com

5-6 May

ABT BREAM Series Round 6 Swan River, WA

abt.org.au

19 May

CVLCSS Round 3 Lake Mulwala

www.cvlcss.com David Nelson 0418 378 944

2-3 Jun

ABT BREAM Series Round 7 Hawkesbury River

abt.org.au

11-12 Aug

ABT BREAM Series Round 8 Lake Macquarie

abt.org.au

24-27 Aug

CVLCSS Round 4 Mildura David Nelson 0418 378 944

www.cvlcss.com

13-14 Oct

Round 7 Hobie Kayak Bream Series Hopkins

www.hobiefishing.com.au

13-14 Oct

ABT BREAM Series Round 9 South West Rocks

abt.org.au

27 Oct

CVLCSS Round 5 Lake Eppalock

www.cvlcss.com David Nelson 0418 378 944

19 Nov

ABT BARRA Tour Round 1 Kinchant Dam (evening event)

abt.org.au

20 Nov

ABT BARRA Tour Round 2 Teemburra Dam (evening event)

abt.org.au

21 Nov

ABT BARRA Tour Round 3 Peter Faust (Night Championship)

abt.org.au

23-24 Nov

ABT BARRA Tour Round 4 Peter Faust (evening event)

abt.org.au

24 Nov

CVLCSS Round 6 Lake Eildon

www.cvlcss.com David Nelson 0418 378 944

24-25 Nov

Round 9 Hobie Kayak Bream Series Mallacoota

www.hobiefishing.com.au

30 Nov-2 Dec

ABT BREAM Series Grand Final Marlo

abt.org.au

Add your tournament or competition to this list by emailing jthomas@fishingmonthly.com.au or calling 07 3387 0800 in office hours.

Just supply a date, venue, tournament name and a telephone number and contact name.

76

MARCH 2018

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310

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320

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177kg

SUZUKI 115 OVER 12% HEAVIER 182kg

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BSFC dyno testing;Mercury data is an average of 60%-80%Dealer rated engine speed e your authorised Marine *Based on Mercury’s 115hp (L) model. Information based on manufacturers’today. claimed horsepower and figures.

Testweight conducted on a 1775 Lund aluminium boat. based on standard ICOMIA emissions test.

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km/h

Consistency wins East Gippsland Bream Classic The first round of the 2018 NS Rods Sunline Bream Classic saw 48 teams head to Metung on the Gippsland Lakes on 3-4 February for the 2018 Club Marine East Gippsland Bream Classic.

The weather was pictureperfect for the weekend, however with a serious algae bloom all throughout the system it was going to be an extremely tough task for anglers to find and tempt the calibre of bream that East Gippsland Lakes is renowned for.

Team We Flick Fishing’s Charlie Saykao and Tom McIntosh fished exceptionally well and while most teams struggled to find a solid one-day bag, they produced two very consistent quality bags of bream to come from 2nd place on Sunday to pass Team Humminbird’s Shaun Clancy and Jarrod Healy to claim victory.

Anglers awoke to clear skies and light winds on both days of the competition, giving them the option to travel far and wide to find fish. With boats heading off in all directions from the start on both days it was clear that there was no distinct pattern or area that was holding all the fish. Team We Flick Fishing set about executing the plan that they had put together after their pre-fish. Tom recounted their approach to the tournament.

“As always we had an idea of how we were going to approach our weekend based on how the system fished during the pre-fish and how the other anglers were approaching certain areas,” he said. “We spent a lot of time during our pre-fish utilising the Lowrance HDS 12 Carbons side and down imaging, scanning sections of the Tambo and Mitchell rivers looking for tell-tale signs of baitfish, which in turn helped us locate the predatory bream looking for an easy meal.”

78

MARCH 2018

“We knew the system was fishing tough after only having a handful of bites at the end of the pre-fish, meaning we needed to lock into our chosen zones and fish them thoroughly, looking for those isolated bites. For both Saturday and Sunday our plan was very similar as the weather was the same for both days – light winds in the morning and building to perfect flats fishing conditions around 11am.

“Bites were few and far between, although the water was dirty, so we resorted to fishing 3lb Sunline FC rock to present the lure as natural

executing correctly when the opportunities presented themselves. Unfortunately on both days we lost fish, which would have proven as key upgrades in our bag. We both knew that the tournaments you generally do well in are the ones where you execute correctly and land all the fish that bite; we both thought that we had left the door open for other teams to swoop in.

“Each day at midday we scrambled a bag of five fish together for around 3.5kg. With the changing conditions we made our move from the river onto the flats chasing upgrades.

Team Humminbird’s Shaun Clancy and Jarrod Healy display the quality fish that helped them win the Sunline Best Bag for the weekend.

Rob Warren from Team Hunters displays the 1.45kg bream that won him the Okuma ZMan Big Bream.

WINNING TACKLE Reel Daiwa Luvias 2004 Rods Miller rods Bream Brawler 7’1 2-8lb 13 Fishing Envy Black Line 3lb Sunline FC Rock Lures ZMan 2.5” Grubs in motor oil rigged on 1/12oz no.2 TT Finesse HeadlockZ jigheads as possible, resulting in more bites. We kept it simple using the same lure all weekend – a ZMan 2.5” grub in motor oil, 1/12oz no. 2 TT Finesse HeadlockZ jigheads and shallow running cranks to secure our upgrades on the flats.

“We had to work hard for the bites and knew the importance to

With the wind reaching its expected maximum around 11-12am each day this gave us ample time to again fish for a few big bites to dramatically upgrade our bag. On both days this decision payed dividends as we were able to remove 31cm fork length bream and replace them with fish over 36cm to the fork on shallow running cranks.”

After weighing in 5/5 bream for 4.49kg on day one, they trailed behind Team Humminbird’s Shaun Clancy and Jarrod Healy who weighed in an impressive 5/5 bream for 4.87kg, which had them leading the tournament and also handed them the Sunline Best Bag for the weekend.

Team Humminbird managed 5/5 bream for 3.93kg on day two, giving them a total of 10/10 bream for 8.80kg, leaving the door open just enough for a consistent We Flick Fishing to steal victory; they weighed in 5/5 bream for 4.45kg on day two and took out the 2018 Club Marine East Gippsland Bream Classic with 10/10 bream for 8.94kg.

The Okuma ZMan Big Bream went to Team Hunter’s Rob Warren and Glen Hunter who weighed in a cracking 1.45kg beast on day two. The Hurricane Monster Movers prize went to Team Pier Mafia’s Clint Voss and Richard Patterson who weighed in a quality bag of 5/5 bream for 3.45kg on Sunday to move 23 places up the leader board to finish in 25th position.

Team We Flick Fishing’s Tom McIntosh thanked

the Vic Bream team for organising and presenting another stellar tournament to start the 2018 season.

“Thanks to all the event sponsors, especially Club Marine for being the round naming sponsor and NS Rods and Sunline for being series naming sponsor,” he said.

“Finally, thanks to Navico Australia for supporting our team; without the Lowrance HDS 12 Carbons on the boat to help narrow down specific isolated zones this

weekend would have been a nightmare. To Jake Villani from We Flick Fishing, a special thanks for all of your support and antics.”

The next stop sees the 2018 NS Rods Sunline Bream Classic heading to Nelson on the Glenelg River for the 2018 Hobie Polarized Bream Classic. Visit www. vicbreamclassics.com.au for all the details or contact tournament director Bill Hartshorne on mobile on 0409 823 070.

The top three teams: We Flick Fishing’s Charlie Saykao and Tom McIntosh came in 1st with 10/10 bream for 8.94kg, 2nd place Team Humminbird’s Shaun Clancy and Jarrod Healy had 10/10 bream for 8.80kg, and 3rd place Team Akubra’s Adam Kennedy and Joe Darmody had with 10/10 bream for 7.4kg.

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MARCH 2018

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$320 + GST for 6 months Email : pjung@fishingmonthly.com.au

This section in V&TFM Fishing Monthly consolidates the trades and services in your area that are relevant to your fishing and boating. Whether you’re a local looking for more options or a travelling angler fishing around the state, this guide will direct you to reputable businesses in the area you’re searching.

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MARCH 2018

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION

Geelong Charters & Fishing Trips, Geelong (03) 5275 7107 Katrina Louise Charters, Cheltenham 0402 828 140 Kestrel Charters, Queenscliff (03) 5258 1783

EAST GIPPSLAND (Continued)

Queenscliff Fishing Charters, Queenscliff 0458 504 058

Bemm River Holiday Accommodation & Boat Hire, Bemm River

Pro Red Fishing Charters 0421 442 775

(03) 5158 4233 or 0427 584 233

Rip Charters Fishing Trips, Sorrento (03) 5984 3664

Lazy Acre Log Cabins 1, 2 & 3 BEDROOM SPACIOUS COTTAGES ♦ Solar Pool ♦ Free Wi-Fi ♦ Air-Con/Heating ♦ Fishing Advice ♦ Boat Parking

Saltwater Charters, Queenscliff (03) 5258 4888 Quiet central location Ideal for all the family Close to 90 mile beach 5min drive to boat ramps

Off The Hook Fishing Charters 0419 554 916

N O W AVA IL A B L E ALL YOUR FISHING MONTHLY GEAR From

T-Shirts

$

St Kilda Fishing Charters, St Kilda (03) 9770 2200

22 85

Western Port Fishing Charters, Hastings (03) 9769 5544

EAST COAST Far Out Charters, Lakes Entrance 0428 401 819 Prom Coastal Charters, Yanakie (03) 5687 1248 or 0429 935 583 East Gippsland Charters 0400 564 032

(03) 5155 1323 ♦ 0418 516 555 ♦ 35 Roadknight Street, LAKES ENTRANCE

FRESHWATER Angling Expeditions Victoria, Tawonga (03) 5754 1466

Lazy Acre Log Cabins, Lakes Entrance (03) 5155 1323

TASMANIA

Highland Trout Lakes, Ballarat (03) 5368 9574 Millbrook Lakes Lodge, Ballarat (03) 5334 0404

TASMANIA & FLINDERS ISLAND

AMAZING ANSONS BAY

ABSOLUTE WATERFRONT HOLIDAY HOME • Stylish house with great water views • Bathroom on 2 levels • Access to the beach in front of house • Boatshed with bikes and kayaks for your use • Boat ramp at Ansons Bay • Great fishing due to remoteness

Phone Cases From

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Ausprey Tours, Launceston (03) 6630 2612

29 45

Mugs

Gone Fishing Charters, St Helens (03) 6376 1553

From

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Fish Wild Tasmania, Hobart 0418 348 223 Flinders Island Adventures, Flinders Island (03) 6359 4507

1 7 27

Trout Territory, Northern Midlands (03) 6397 5001

NSW SOUTH COAST Reel Affair, Merimbula freecall 1800 233 247 Espirit Charters, Bermagui (02) 6493 4104 or 0407 260 110 Freedom Charters, Eden (02) 6496 1209 or 0415 602 446 Headland Fishing Adventures, Merimbula (02) 6495 1134

Clocks $

Island Charters, Narooma (02) 4476 1047 or 0408 428 857 K9 Fishing Charters, Merimbula (02) 6495 1681 House rents for $190 per night – sleeps 6 Contact Kevin 0457 778 097 or for more photos go to Stayz Property – number 220674

CHARTER BOATS WEST COAST Portland Fishing Charters, Portland (03) 5523 3020

CENTRAL

Timeout Fishing Charters

0400 440 705

www.timeoutfishingcharters.com.au 5% Discount on Presentation of this Ad

Timeout Fishing Charters 0400 440 705 South-West Fishing Charters, Portland 0418 306 714 Gone Fishing Charters 0409 007 068 Able Fishing & Charters, Williamstown (03) 9502 3777

Merimbula Marina, Merimbula (02) 6495 1686 or 0427 951 080

42 7 0

Carry Bags

Narooma Charters, Narooma 0407 909 111 O’Brien Charter Service, Bermagui 0407 214 124

FISHING GUIDES

From

$

20 3 3

NSW SOUTH COAST Wilderness Fishing Tours, Mallacoota 0424 625 160 Aussie Fish Estuary Adventures (02) 6495 9902 or 0400 062 504

TRADES AND SERVICES ADVERTISING Line listing from $90 + gst 6 months* 2cm x 2 from $195 + gst 6 months* 5cm x 2 from $320 + gst 6 months* 8cm x 2 from $590 + gst 6 months* Rates exclusive to Trades and Services Directory *Conditions apply Call (07) 3387 0835 or email pjung@fishingmonthly.com.au

Throw Pillows

From

$

25 4 2

and lots more...

MANY DESIGNS TO CHOOSE FROM ON A WIDE VARIETY OF PRODUCTS ALL MADE TO ORDER

If you have any other trades or services that you would like to see in this section please don’t hesitate to give us a call Email: pjung@fishingmonthly.com.au

ACE Fishing Charters, Bonbeach (03) 9773 4183 Adamas Fishing Charters, Barwon Heads (03) 5254 3320 Big Red Fishing Charters, Queenscliff 1800 805 587

CHANDLERY & ACCESSORIES Anchor Right (03) 5968 5014

Blue Magic Fishing Charters, Rowville (03) 9759 5301

Salt-away 1800 091 172 or www.salt-away.com.au

Calypso Fishing Charters, Tootgarook (03) 5985 8463

Techni Ice (03) 9783 1922

fishingmonthly.redbubble.com

Advertisers wanting to be involved in this directory can call (07) 3387 0800 or email pjung@fishingmonthly.com.au MARCH 2018

81

FUN PAGE AND COMPETITIONS WORDS CONTAINING FISH

SELFISH STANDOFFISH OAFISH FISHMONGER FISHTAILING FISHERFOLK FISHERIES FISHPONDS OUTFISHED FISHBOWL

FISHY FISHNETS FISHEYE WAIFISH ELFISH OFFICIAL WOLFISH EFFICIENT AFFICIONADO FISSURE

Valley Hill Rocketeer Slicer

Name: Address:

P/Code:

The first correct entry at the end of each month will win the prize pack.

SEND ENTRIES TO: VIC Find-a-word Competition, PO box 3172, Loganholme Qld 4129

VIC MAR 2018

Phone (day):

BARRA COUNTRY by Brett Currie

The Rocketeer Slicer from Japanese tackle giant Valley Hill is a real feat of Japanese design and engineering.

The Rocketeer Slicer has a unique metal plate at the nose of the jig, which lets you secure line in two places, and ensures a superior swimming action even through debris. In addition, its tail system lets you cast more effectively into the wind.

The Rocketeer Slicer is available in two sizes (3.0 and 3.5) and 13 different colour combinations. It has proven to be highly effective on Australian squid. www.dogtoothdistribution.com.au

SPOT THE

10 DIFFERENCES

GEORGE & NEV by Michael Hardy

ORIGINAL

FIND-A-WORD

Congratulations to Elizabeth Coombes from Vermont, who was last month’s winner of the Find-a-Word Competition!

Monthly winners receive a sponsor prize. Prize delivery can take 8 weeks. – V&TFM

SUBSCRIBER PRIZE

The subscriber prize winner for January is K Gray of Maffra, who won 28 packs of Madeyes valued at $300.

All subscribers are entered in the monthly subscriber prize draws. Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – V&TFM

North Narrabeen, D Spinks of Scone, P Stever of Austinmer, S Layton of Mount Warrigal, S Ramage of Davistown, G Minett of Taree, W Cumming of Bass Hill, W Newall of Cumnock, P Maynard of Blaxland, K Hester of Beverly Hills, B Becroft of Concord, D Appleby of Macquarie Hills, J Mason of Griegs Flat, G Wade of Empire Bay, C Cooper of Boorowa, I Donaldson of Cessnock, F

Seal of Junee, R Chown of Glendenning, S Cook of Seven Hills, C West of Dapto, R Durie of Holt, C Carter of Richmond, B Schnitzer of Cooma, B Robley of Noraville, J Cross of Mondrook, W Short of Hamlyn Terrace, B Hall of Balgownie, D Thompson of Hillvue, D Conroy of Pace.

Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks.

– V&TFM

LAST MONTH’S ANSWERS

FIND THE GAMAKATSU LOGO

The answers to Find the Gamakatsu Logo for January were: 9, 12, 20, 25, 32, 34, 40, 42, 45, 48, 61, 64, 67, 90, 100. – V&TFM

82

MARCH 2018

This month’s Guess the Fish Answer: Mahimahi

The Find the Gamakatsu prize winners for January were: J Paul of Inverell, N Walters of Palm Beach, M Baker of Gorokan, D Smith of Rose Bay, J Wicks of Cootamundra, B Gorham of Toronto, L Comerford of Penrith South, S Harris of Buff Point, A Munro of Old Bar, G Hall of Grenfell, J Vagg of Tuross Head, D Nacinovic of

GUESS THE FISH?

Answer:

boats & kayaks

In the skipper’s seat 84 Kayaks on Curdies Inside story...

Bulls Bay is a classic low country shallow water bay between Georgetown and Charleston, S.C., and the new Bulls Bay lineup of boats from Carolina Composites is just that... classic. Carolina Composites has taken a classic bay boat hull design that has been popular for decades in the coastal Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida and retooled and modernized it to produce their new Bulls Bay lineup.

Made for...

Carolina Composites build Bulls Bay Boats with angler and families in mind, and offer real value for money with all their boats.

This month...

Peter Jung jumps into Bulls Bay 1700, the smallest in the range. Check it out on page 94!

Corey Gallagher explores this hidden gem in search of the crafty bream that it’s famous for.

88 SUP basics

Justin Willmer gives a basic rundown of Stand Up Paddleboard fishing, and why it’s becoming so popular.

90 Aquayak AQUA II

Bob Thornton gives this 2-person kayak a whirl in SEQ’s Hinze Dam, and tries out some of Aquayak’s handy accessories as well!

92 To CC or not CC? Wayne Kampe looks at the pros and cons of owning a centre console boat.

96 Whittley CW 1950

Editor Steve Morgan climbs aboard this beautiful craft, powered by a Yamaha F115hp.

Creep up on crafty Curdies estuarine dwellers MELBOURNE

Corey Gallagher

Victoria’s South West is often overlooked by kayak anglers in preference for better-known destinations in the state’s east. For those prepared to put in the effort there are a number of excellent fisheries ready to explore.

The Curdies River is one such estuary, home to an excellent population of bream only too willing to take a well-presented lure. The Curdies enters the Southern Ocean at the small seaside village of Peterborough, 250km southwest of Melbourne.

The estuary comprises of two main features, the river itself and Curdies Inlet, a large shallow lake at the mouth of the river. The river edges are dominated by extensive reeds, which extend from the inlet to the boat ramp at Boggy Creek

reasonably common catch in the upstream stretches of the river. The opportunity to catch one of our more elusive estuarine species, the mighty mulloway, is also a possibility when spending some time on the Curdies.

with large bluenose bream and excellent school-size mulloway caught regularly.

Paddling upstream from the Boggy Creek Ramp into the more brackish water will soon have you in more snaggy terrain – excellent areas to target estuary perch. The

these edges can be highly productive, particularly when targeting bream during the warmer months. Grub pattern soft plastics are my go-to when fishing this type of terrain; they’re less likely to snag up on the reeds and can be cast right to the edges and

Bream are the main drawcard for most kayak anglers travelling to the Curdies River. allowed to drop vertically.

Position your kayak close to the reed edges and cast your grub upstream, landing it tight up against the reeds.

Working your grub back with the flow assists greatly in increasing your strike rate, presenting a more natural offering that moves with the flow. Work your grub back to the kayak using a hop and pause retrieve, and try

to keep your plastic as close to edge as possible. Always be on the lookout for reeds growing out over the water.

Skip cast your grub in under the overhang, as often the bigger bream will use these shaded areas as cover.

It pays to be fully attentive from the moment your grub breaks the surface tension. Bream regularly take grubs as they fall vertically down through the water column. As the water cools the edges become less productive, so move your casts out away from the edges and work the deeper water and drop-offs. Here a good quality sounder can be invaluable in locating the bream.

Undercut banks are scattered throughout the reed edges downstream of Boggy Creek and can be very productive when the bream are up on the edges.

I like to work a slim paddletail plastic on a slow roll just below the surface when targeting these banks.

Bream will often dash out from the undercut banks and smash your paddle-tail as it swims by.

If a mulloway is your intended target, use your sounder to scan the deeper sections of the river downstream from Boggy Creek, looking for large returns and schools of bait.

Normally the mulloway will be schooled in small groups

so finding them is often the easy part. Getting them to bite on the other hand can be a very challenging task; if you’re fortunate enough to get a hook-up, the resulting fight is well worth the effort and one of the most exciting experiences for any kayak angler. Mulloway will respond to a range of lures but 4” paddle-tail plastics hopped along the bottom are my go-to.

Estuary perch can be just as difficult to entice but they are there for the taking if you’re prepared to put in the hours. Big perch will never venture too far from their snaggy homes and casting lightly or unweighted plastics right in tight amongst the snags can often result in a hookup. Locked up drags and strong leaders may give you a chance but the explosive power of these much soughtafter species should never be underestimated.

CONCLUSION The Curdies River can be an outstanding fishery. Its close proximity to Warrnambool makes it a great option when visiting the area. I often combine a two-stop daytrip starting the day at the Hopkins River in Warrnambool and moving onto the Curdies in the afternoon. Even though a long paddle is often needed to reach the better water, the rewards can be excellent and well worth the effort.

Extensive reedy edges are the dominant features of the system and a great place to target hungry bream. and beyond. Undercut banks are a common feature along with several reefs that run across the river. Further upstream the river becomes snaggy and offers plenty of outstanding fish holding structure.

TARGET SPECIES Bream are in excellent numbers in the Curdies and the main drawcard for most kayak anglers who regularly fish the river.

Estuary perch are also a

s d n e m m o c e r k a y a u q A the Ranger whrednies fishing the Cu River.

ACCESS The majority of kayak anglers fishing the Curdies River make use of the upstream boat ramp located at Boggy Creek (Curdivale). The upstream ramp gives immediate access to the river itself; paddling downstream will have you fishing the reed edges and these are great places to search for bream and mulloway. It’s over 8km to reach the inlet, so a long paddle is often required to reach the more productive banks closer to the inlet. It can be well worth the effort

township of Peterborough has a boat ramp as well that will have you launching into the Curdies Inlet. This can be a great launch option when the mouth is closed and the water level in the lake is high. When the mouth is open the water in the inlet can be very shallow and even in a kayak it can be difficult to navigate.

TECHNIQUES As I mentioned, the main feature in the lower reaches of the Curdies are the extensive reed edges, common amongst many systems in the South West of Victoria. Working

The boat ramp at Boggy Creek gives excellent access to both the upstream and downstream sections of the Curdies River.

RANGER Manufactured in Melbourne, Victoria

The Outrigger Kit renders the kayak virtually untippable, making kayaking safe and fun for users of all skill levels.

899

$ Specs: • Length 3.7 metres • Weight 25kg • Capacity 170kg 84

MARCH 2018

Outrigger Kit

245

$

21B Randor St, Cambellfield, Victoria 3061

“See our website or call to find a dealer near you.”

Ph: (03) 9357 9992 – www.aquayak.com

MAJOR PRIZES

FIND THE

LOGO COMPETITION

1st PLACE

1000

There are 15 logos hidden throughout the pages of Fishing Monthly.

$

Find the logo and page number, fill in the entry form and go in the draw to win!

RRP worth of Frogley’s Offshore products

2nd PLACE

The first 40 correct entries drawn at the end of each month will win a packet of the world’s finest hooks from

500

$

All entries will go into the major prize draw (MAY 31 , 2018).

RRP worth of Frogley’s Offshore products

www.frogleysoffshore.com.au

3rd PLACE

200

$

RRP worth of Frogley’s Offshore products

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NAME ............................................................................................................

MAIL ENTRIES TO: VFM Find the Gamakatsu Logo Competition, PO BOX 3172, Loganholme QLD 4129 Entries must be received by 31ST MARCH 2018 Original entries only. No photocopies.

SUBURB .................................................................P/CODE ...........................

PHONE ..........................................................................................................

EMAIL ............................................................................................................

VFM MARCH 2018

ADDRESS .......................................................................................................

WHAT’S NEW BOATING SUZUKI DF325A

1

The innovative new DF325A 4-stroke outboard from Suzuki has been designed to be robust, easy to use and versatile, making it the ideal outboard for large boats.

Sharing the same revolutionary technologies as the recently-launched flagship DF350A, including contra-rotating propellers, dual louver system and dual injectors, Suzuki has stepped it up with the new model by engineering it to run on 91 RON fuel – a world first and game changer for high performance outboards over 300hp.

Suzuki’s latest outboard features its proven 4.4L displacement block which gives tremendous torque and makes it the largest displacement V6 on the market today.

Combined with a compression ratio of 10.5:1, the DF325A also delivers impressive fuel economy and reliability.

The first deliveries are expected in March. www.suzukimarine.com.au

RAYMARINE VIDEO LIBRARY

2

Raymarine has launched a full library of Lighthouse 3 ‘Tips and Tricks’ videos that demonstrate many of the operating system’s unique features.

In these educational videos, Raymarine Global Product Manager, Mark Garland, and Marketing Manager, Jim McGowan, walk boaters and anglers through numerous topics, including: C-Map and Navionics advanced features; Raymarine Autopilot integration parts one and two; auto route to here functionality; one-touch vessel details; and wireless display options.

Taken as a whole, this new video library demonstrates how Lighthouse 3 system software allows boaters and anglers to take command of their entire navigational and fishfinding experience. Combined with the quadcore processor found in both Axiom and Axiom Pro units, Lighthouse 3 allows anglers to adjust technologies, data displays, and other critical information in an easy, fast, and fluid way.

Raymarine plans to keep building the ‘Tips and Tricks’ video library (www.youtube.com/ user/RaymarineInc) in 2018.

Price: from SRP $1199 www.raymarine.com.au

MERCURY FOURSTROKE SALE

3

Mercury is offering great deals on their popular 40-90hp FourStrokes. Until 26 March 2018, you can package your boat with one of these engines and save $1130*, and Mercury will provide a free SmartCraft SC1000 tacho rigging kit with every 4090hp FourStroke purchased.

Even better, Mercury Finance is available which means you can be enjoying a brand new Mercury FourStroke from just $34 a week.

Mercury FourStroke outboards are renowned for being lighter, stronger, and more reliable yet still able to produce superior power and performance. Features include reliable starting, fantastic fuel efficiency, smooth operation, electronic fuel injection (on all 4090hp models), tougher components, a total commitment to corrosion protection and the availability of SmartCraft digital monitoring. *This offer is subject to engine availability, and is not to be used in conjunction with any other offer or rebates. www.mercurymarine.com.au 86

MARCH 2018

PRODUCT GUIDE

SCOTTY BALL MOUNTING SYSTEM 4 The Scotty Ball Mounting System provides a mounting platform for a variety of accessories. The ball joint enables a smooth, full range of motion, and the corrosion-proof construction provides a long service life in both fresh and salt water.

The 150 model’s universal mounting plate provides a platform for a variety of accessories. The 150 stands 6 3/4” tall, and the base mount measures 2 1/4” x 2 1/4”.

The 151 model with Gear-Head and lowprofile track provides a mounting receptacle for a variety of Scotty post-mount accessories.

The Gear-Head drop-and-lock system lets you secure and re-position post-mount accessories with just a twist, and the no. 440 low-profile track allows for quick and easy setup. The track measures 1 3/4” wide x 3/8” tall (1” usable track), and the mount stands 9” tall.

The 152 with Gear-Head adapter, post and combination side/deck mount also features the Gear-Head drop and lock system. The 152 comes with a no. 241 combination side/deck mount, and the 152 base mount measures 4” x 2” x 2”, and the mount stands 10 3/4” tall. www.jmgillies.com.au

WILSON LIQUID LANOLIN

1

2

5

Wilson Marine and Leisure Liquid Lanolin cleans, lubricates, rejuvenates and extends the life of metals, vinyls, plastic, leather, fibreglass and powder coated surfaces. It is the ideal choice for protecting marine hardware, cabling, outboard engines and fishing gear from the harmful effects of corrosion.

Lanolin is an environmentally friendly, nonconductive, salt and acid resistant product that protects, rejuvenates and lubricates many different materials. The lanolin lubricates and protects moving parts on tools, reels, zippers and chains, while being robust enough to resist high pressure cleaning.

Lanolin can also be used to penetrate and free up rusted equipment, effectively working as an anti-seize agent in the field. Application is via a directional nozzle that allows the lanolin to be placed exactly where it is needed, including tight and hard-to-reach places that ordinary spray nozzles cannot reach. www.wilsonfishing.com

3

4

NEW OCEAN CRAFT 6 CRUISERS The Ocean Craft Cruiser range has been expanded with a model that features an aircraft carrier square-nosed bow for maximum deck space. Other Cruiser models are the Cruiser Extreme Party BBQ Boat, and the Dune Buggy Transporter.

All Ocean Craft Cruisers feature an above waterline self-draining deck; full-length heavyduty, fold-down bimini top; hatch to below deck; airtight buoyancy section under deck; and ocean going, wave-punching hull.

Below deck options include a storm refuge ‘V’ berth option; underfloor livebait tank, kill tank and underfloor fuel tank fit-out; and a second weatherproof hatch to below deck.

Ocean Crafts can be optionally fitted with an onboard porta-potty toilet, fitted kitchen, worktop, fridge, dual burner cooker and basin stereo with hi-fi 12V power points.

The Ocean Craft 5.2m Cruiser is priced from $38,283, and the 6m model is priced from $44,995. www.oceancraft.com.au

5

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An introduction to SUP fishing BRISBANE

Justin Willmer Find me on Facebook at Yaks On

The first time I saw someone gliding along on a SUP (stand up paddleboard) I thought that would be a cool vessel to fish from. After fishing from kayaks for almost 30 years, I have been keen to try my luck fishing from any craft that I could get my hands on, from blow up boats and kayaks, to drift boats and float tubes, some with more success than others.

After threatening to buy a SUP to fish from for years, with varied reactions from family and friends, I managed to get my hands on a loaner from Kayak & SUP on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. So here it is, my first SUP fishing adventure, a few things I learnt along the way and also some pointers I was given from more experienced SUP users.

Firstly, there are a wide range of SUPs available, from smaller boards designed for SUP surfing, through to more universal boards that suit a variety of applications and right up to larger purpose-built SUP fishing boards. It’s worth doing some research, checking out what’s out there and visiting a store like Kayak & SUP, that specialises in the sport and have staff on hand who have firsthand knowledge and experience to share with you. The board I

I’m lucky enough to have Ben, an experienced SUP surfer and racer, who has even built his own timber SUP, living just up the road and I had picked his brain on a couple of occasions before my maiden voyage. I extended the paddle to a couple of inches above my head height as suggested, and I committed to getting onto the board.

Ben believed people often had trouble getting onto the board and standing up because they approached it too timidly, rather than moving into knee deep water, holding the rails (sides) in each hand firmly and committing to getting onto the board and into position in one motion. He

fitted out, featuring tie down points where I strapped an icebox down as a seat and for storage, along with a tie down point for attaching a paddle leash, tie down point for a rod leash, bungee cord on the back for storing the trolley, bungee on the front where the paddle and a fishing ruler could be stowed, and finally a stash pod where you can store your keys, that I opted to leave the lid off to keep a 600ml water bottle handy. One thing I learnt when on the water is that everything needs to be within easy reach, and I kept my landing net tucked into one tie down strap on the icebox and my Boomerand Tool retractable line snips

Fleeing prawns are a giveaway that the bream are in the area.

while keeping your body on the centre line of the SUP, you minimise any chance of becoming unstable.

Unfortunately the day that I had available was wet and windy, so I opted to travel about 500m to a flat that I often fish, so that if I fell off I would only be in 1-1.5m of water. I moved into knee deep water, boarded the SUP and sat on the icebox for my paddle across wind to the flat, gaining a feel for the board in choppier conditions.

Upon reaching the flat I stood up to fish, was hit by

This grunter that ate a ZMan 2.5” Slim SwimZ along with a few others made the day all the more enjoyable.

SUPs are a stable and simple option, especially for smooth water fishing. a scud of wind and began to drift across the flat at a hundred miles an hour with the wind and big tide, while waves grabbed at the tail and side rails in an attempt to destabilise the board and dislodge me. It was at this point I realised that I was stupid and had made a bad decision, taking

on conditions that were beyond my skill level… know the limits of your craft and more importantly your own limits!

I decided to abandon the exposed flat and head for calmer waters in the mouth of a creek, where mangroves offered sheltered waters and the chance of a

fish. Pointing the SUP at a 45° angle to the wind and toward the mangrove edges that I wanted to fish, I soon realised I was out of my depth and decided SUP fishing was not for me. I then took a deep breath and remembered what Ben had told me about paddling.

Don’t just frantically drag

The author en route to the water, SUP in tow. was paddling for my first mission was designed with fishing in mind and at 12’ long and 32” wide, offered excellent stability for my 90kg frame. I strapped the board onto the C-Tug Trolley and headed for the water!

88

MARCH 2018

suggested taking the board to the water without any rods, icebox and other kit, so that I could get on and fall off a few times, get a feel for the board and learn to fall clear of the board should I come unstuck.

The board was well

attached to the tie down strap on the other side. I had additional water in the icebox, along with a dry bag containing basic tackle and my scent was stowed in the recessed centre carry handle between my feet. If you can reach everything

The trolley was easily secured with the rear bungee cord.

the paddle past the SUP, stand firm but relaxed, you will burn a lot of energy if you feel like you are hanging on by your toe nails. Reach forward, sink the full blade of the paddle into the water and then push forward with the top hand and pull back with the bottom hand, pulling yourself toward the paddle.

It took me a long time to reach the mangroves, maybe even an hour, but by the time I reached the mangroves I was confident in my paddle stroke and was actually really enjoying the experience.

It hadn’t taken long to realise that SUPs are perfectly suited to calm waters and low winds. In

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Margay 2017

$52,990 SUPs are lightweight and simple to transport and launch.

Top: Keeping the deck area clear and simple is advisable. Bottom: The fish started coming aboard once the author hit calmer waters. these conditions the SUP is stable and fun, with the advantages of an elevated viewing position while fishing, a very low profile with minimal shadow and excellent stealth, along with the ability to navigate extremely shallow water. I will add a rod holder to my icebox as on this occasion, I had my rod laying on the deck in front of me and although it stayed dry, it wasn’t ideal.

Mixing it up between stand up and sit down fishing, I worked soft plastics along the mangrove edges, pick pocketed the breaks in the mangroves and was soon rewarded with a solid take and a bent rod. As with kayak fishing, once a fish is hooked, ensure that you point the tip of your rod to the tip of the SUP. This will ensure

you maintain your stability, rather than being leveraged sideways on the board.

With plenty of recent rain and big tides, I wasn’t sure that I would even find a fish, so I enjoyed the fight of a reasonable size grunter and took in the whole experience of catching fish from the SUP. A few dodgy selfies, having not had the opportunity to attach any cameras at this point, and the fish was released. Another two grunter quickly followed and I was all smiles, loving the freedom and simplicity of the SUP. As the tide began dropping out of the mangroves, I kept an eye out for signs of bream feeding and soon saw prawns flicking and fleeing across the surface. Casting to the disturbance I was again rewarded with a solid take and I soon had a bream on the deck. This was followed by another shower of prawns and another bream, before my stomach was telling me it was time to head in for a late lunch. I hugged the sheltered shoreline on my return to the boat ramp

and just tried to absorb the whole experience. My paddle stroke had become much more confident and efficient, my toe nails were no longer clinging to the board and I felt sure and stable, even with the occasional wind gust or waves.

This adventure had reinforced something that I often tell others, which is know the limits of your vessel and more importantly, know your own limits. The two halves of my session were polar opposites, from the stress and uneasy feeling of the exposed flat and the long paddle to sheltered water, to the sense of freedom and simplicity of fishing the calmer waters and landing some fish. In the right conditions the SUP is an excellent fishing vessel and a vessel that can also be used for recreation and fitness. I look forward to putting it through its paces over a few more sessions and sharing the results in a future issue of the mag.

In the meantime I need to start saving for my own fishing SUP! See you on the water.

• 17’7” • Single axle Basscat trailer • 115 hp Mercury 4 stroke • 24v electric motor (Minn Kota or Motor Guide) • 2 x sounders (Humminbird 597cxi HD Di or Lowrance HDS 5 or Garmin 6”)

Pantera II 2017

$74,990

• 19’1” • Single axle Basscat trailer • 200 hp Mercury Optimax • 24v electric motor (Minn Kota or Motor Guide) • 2 x sounders (Humminbird 698cxi HD Si or Lowrance HDS 7 GEN2 or Garmin 6”)

Pantera Classic 2018

$65,990

• 19’6” • Single Axel Bass Cat Trailer • 150 hp Mercury Pro-XS • 24v electric motor (Minn Kota or Motor Guide) • 2 x sounders (Humminbird 597cxi HD Di or Lowrance HDS 5 or Garmin 6”)

Sabre FTD 2017

$61,990

• 18’1” • Single axle Basscat trailer • 115 hp Mercury 4 stroke • 24v electric motor (Minn Kota or Motor Guide) • 2 x sounders (Humminbird 698cxi HD Si or Lowrance HDS 7 GEN2 or Garmin 6”)

We Build Dreams...

It’s a Family Tradition

The freedom and simplicity of an SUP make it an attractive option.

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Aquayak AQUA II – twice the fun, half the hassle - SC

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Wayne and the author had no trouble getting right up the back of some of the arms in search of saratoga. we could really test out its fishing ability!

FIRST IMPRESSIONS Unloading the yak from the 4WD and walking 100 or so metres to the water, I was surprised at just how light this two-person craft was. At 32kg, it’s not too heavy to 90

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As for storage, there are two small hatches, one for each seat. There’s space enough for keys, a phone, spare trace, clippers and other small bits of kit that you’d want to keep dry. Admittedly, there wasn’t a lot of storage space available, however

at all as we did some passes for the camera. When the paddles came out of the water, the AQUA II was able to glide gracefully forward without veering to one side, eliminating the need for any complicated rudder systems.

The deep moulded seats made

for a very stable ride, and the standard comfort seats that the AQUA II comes with didn’t bring about any dramas for my weathered back, and I didn’t hear any complaint from up front either!

Slinking through Hinze’s drowned timber with the 3.8m AQUA II was all too easy, and the advantage of a two-person kayak is that one person can hold the kayak in position while the other really works an area over. This is exactly what we ended up doing, as there was a stiff breeze blowing across the dam, which would have made fishing out of a single-person craft difficult.

Our short day on the water at Hinze proved fruitless on the fishing front, however our photographer for the day Peter Jung, who was also in an Aquayak kayak, managed to sneak off and nail a decent saratoga!

One slight flaw I did find was that if you’re fishing out of the rear seat, it’s difficult to put your rod in your lap while you paddle along to the next likely spot, which anglers tend to do in a single-person kayak. When sitting up front, this isn’t an issue, however the front seat prevents the rear angler from being able to put his or her rod down, as sticking it out to the side would inhibit your own paddling. I eventually worked out that the easiest thing to do was point the rod backwards and put the rod butt in my lap under the paddle – a small price to pay

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both of us had no trouble with a tackle box each and a few hand tools, and that’s about all I would tend to take kayaking anyway. You can opt to have large front and rear storage hatches fitted on the AQUA II. ON THE WATER Getting in ended up being very easy – it certainly is nice to have someone there to hold the kayak steady when you get in, as Kampey found out!

What struck me immediately was how easily this kayak manoeuvred, and tight corners were no trouble

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It’s been a while since I’ve fished out of a kayak, despite owning one! So I guess there was a reason myself and Wayne ‘Kampey’ Kampe, who has never fished out of a kayak, were chosen to test out the AQUA II from Aquayak.

We decided to drop the AQUA II into the heavilytimbered Hinze Dam in South East Queensland, opting for an early start so

lift on and off by yourself, however being a tandem craft, its assumed you’ll have someone else there with you to help.

When loading my gear into the AQUA, I noticed that the vertical rod holders at the rear actually angled inward, as opposed to sticking outwards like with other kayaks. I actually came to really appreciate this small but clever little design, as it serves to protect any rod tips at the rear, and this is a big plus in a timbered graveyard like Hinze!

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SPECIFICATIONS Length................................................................3.8m Width..................................................................0.9m Weight................................................................32kg Capacity..............................................................240 Persons...................................................................2 for extremely comfortable kayak fishing.

OUTRIGGER KIT Aquayak’s range features a device that is fantastic for anyone who wants to make this incredibly stable craft virtually untippable.

This would be very handy if lugging lots of equipment while camping and fishing, kayaking in rough water and also if you’re not the most experienced kayaker.

Once the Outrigger Kit was fitted to the AQUA II, I decided to try standing and fishing, and this was all too easy, even with my fairly ordinary equilibrium. I found that standing and fishing while a seated user paddles you around is as good as fishing from any boat with an electric motor! You just need to find someone who will do that for you…

Attaching the kit takes about five minutes, and I’m told you can fit it to any kayak, not just those in the Aquayak range!

Despite the fact that they protrude outward, they didn’t seem to affect the kayak’s performance. I did bump them a few times with my paddle on the stroke while sitting in the back, but this is probably more a reflection of my paddling ability, and a bit

of practise would probably fix this problem.

FANTASTIC PACKAGE All up, I see this as a fantastic package for a few reasons. Firstly, it’s cheaper than buying two good quality fishing kayaks, and is perfect for regular fishing partners. It would also be easy enough to fish out of alone should your partner be unavailable that day.

Secondly, with the Outrigger Kit, it becomes user-friendly to even the most novice kayakers, and provides comfort to more skilled users if traveling in rough water or with a heavy load.

Thirdly, it can be kitted how you please, with Aquayak’s huge range of optional accessories, which include seats, rod holders, extra hatches and more.

All up, the standard AQUA II package, which includes two seats, two paddles, two 12L dry bags, and a handful of extras, is $1050. The Outrigger Kit, which is sold separately, is a modest $245, and believe me, these things will last a very long time.

For more information on this kayak, and the other kayaks and accessories in the range, visit www. aquayak.com.

Jumping aboard to AQUA II, the author was impressed by the inward facing rod holders at the rear.

The AQUA II with the Outrigger Kit fitted and someone to paddle you around is as good as fishing out of any electric bass boat.

The Railblaza rodholders that come with the package can be mounted and unmounted in a matter of seconds.

The comfort seats that come standard with the package didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t cause any dramas for the rickety backs of Kampey or the author on the day.

With everything fitted, including the Outrigger Kit, the AQUA II looked like a serious fishing machine.

The deep moulded seats made the kayak extremely stable for two users.

The small storage hatches that come with the package provide enough room for phones, keys, small tools and the like.

With two people paddling the relatively light 32kg hydrodynamic frame, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s possible to get this kayak up to a fair clip.

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Is a centre console the right one for you?

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Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

While it has been around for many years, the centre console (CC) seems to be gaining popularity in a manner that suggests these rigs have been discovered for what they are – great fishing boats for serious anglers.

Their rise in popularity has seen most established manufacturers both here and abroad jumping on the bandwagon and offering a range of well-equipped and slickly performing rigs to tempt the buyer. The 64,000 dollar question is, of course, why the surge in popularity? My view is that it comes down to a happy mix of practicality, user-friendliness, ease of angler mobility within the craft and dollar savings in many cases. A quick glance at some alternative styles of fishing rigs might lead to a better understanding of the situation.

THE OPTIONS Let’s take the standard open craft as a starting point. Every boat buyer wants at least a couple of things ticked in the must-

The US-made Sea Fox CC is an imported rig with a host of really handy features for the keen angler. is popular – particularly with family fishing teams – although fishing room is curtailed to an area aft of the forward seating at the helm/ dash area.

The hull does need to be specifically designed to carry weight in close proximity to the point of water entry, and not all hulls react kindly to this setup and some can throw up a fair amount of spray as a punishment.

Taking the forward helm concept further will see both the half cabin and cuddy cab rig in contention for fishing rig honours. There’s no

Tru-Line craft are locally made; the 6.2 centre console offers great storage options along with a top shelf ride. have box from the outset.

The first must-have is work room; there needs to be as much work room as possible.

Clutter and impairment to easy movement within the boat are definitely out.

That’s a given!

The next must-have is ease of helming; while tiller steer rigs undeniably offer the maximum work area there are limits to endurance levels when it comes to steering a tiller rig setup with more than, say, a 60hp outboard, and that’s with hydraulic steering to tame the torque! Once the horse power goes up the ease of steering for longer journeys goes right out the window, so it’s onto another method of keeping her on course.

Seating up front with both the wheel and forward controls behind a windscreen describes the typical runabout configuration.

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question that these sorts of craft offer the ultimate ease of helming; moreover there’s usually ample shelter thanks to the cabin, whether it’s a cuddy or a larger offering.

Cabin craft offer tremendous storage of course and fishing gear, personal items, tucker or a passenger wanting a rest can all be stashed in the haven up front.

In short, it’s a great place to get away from nasty conditions but, as with all boats and boating situations, there are compromises to accept and in this case it takes the form of a limited fishing room.

It’s common to see a cuddy cab taking up one third or more of a craft’s interior, leaving the area astern as the main work area.

True, some larger cabin craft offer walkaround facilities, so an angler or two can fish up front, but in practice most will fish from the cockpit where the bait board, catch

storage facilities and other handy features are located and only go up front to tend the ground tackle. The dollar aspect is certainly applicable here as well; a cabin, bunks and associated fit-out equipment all involve more expenditure.

MUST-HAVES Unsurprisingly, the modern Centre Console rig combines both must-haves and one I have not touched on. Along with plenty of work room and excellent ease of helming, there’s a bonus in the eye candy and pride of ownership department.

The truth is that along with versatility and practicality, centre console rigs invariably look good and even sitting on a trailer they seem to have a certain something that catches the eye.

It comes down to the layout, of course. It’s rare to find a centre console without sweeping lines.

Centre console rigs are usually derived from a manufacturer’s best riding hulls, because in these entirely open boats a good ride is the start and finish of everything. Consequently it’s the norm to expect the hull to ride as good as it looks.

This means that the dedicated angler that wants a sweet combination of work room and efficiency will find a centre console very hard to beat. As entirely open craft with their forward controls, wheel and instruments

set up amidships, they’re virtually all work room for those enjoying time aboard.

When a big bite is on, or a hard-pulling fish is really making an angler work, the advantage of being able to walk entirely around the

445 Pacific Sea up to Sea Jay’s massive all plate 6.8m Preda King with its list of on-board features as long as your left arm.

As a top seller we see the all plate Preda King listed from 5.1-6.8m in length with each model offering inclusions such as bait tank plumbing, a 150L ice box with seat cushion, self draining deck, dual batteries, and windscreens on consoles with storage compartments.

Yet we see many of these same features in models from makers such as Aqua Master, Formosa, Kapten, Sea Craft, Offshore Marine Master, Quintrex, Stessco, Stacer, Clark and Stabicraft.

We are not talking about one or two models from each maker, either; choice is a big factor for buyers.

While alloy centre consoles have been around for many years it’s only in the last decade that the

Options include an electric anchor winch!

Moving right up to the pointy end of the pile is the imported Pursuit C310 – a 9.5m job. As the big kahuna of centre consoles, she has the works. If a feature is desirable within a boat then this one features it. Climate control? Sure! A fine mist that can be activated via overhead cockpit plumbing to keep things cool on a hot day? Of course.

The livewell alone is almost 200L capacity – you will need a small hand net to locate a livey, while fuel capacity is almost one thousand litres. The engines can be up to 600hp – twin rigs preferred. These are awesome stats but then this is a 31footer able to seriously access blue water areas – a run to the shelf perhaps – thanks to a brilliant deep Vee design and that generous fuel capacity.

Formosa’s alloy Sea Rod offers the convenience of a folding console for ease of storage at home. entire gunwale, bow and transom area of the craft can’t be underestimated.

ALLOY AND GLASS RIGS AVAILABLE Looking around the boat yards it seems that every alloy and glass manufacturer of note has centre consoles in their brochures. Looking at a broad spectrum of alloy makers it’s obvious that these rigs come in many sizes, starting from Horizon’s tidy

Check out the classy dash, speakers overhead in the T top framework, forward rod holders, gunwale padding, front seat with hand rail, and those classy seats for skipper and mate!

on-board features have really given these craft the kudos they deserve.

Consider the Mach 5 from Offshore Master Marine; these plate rigs are designed as no frills entry craft, yet there’s a clear sided live well, good-sized side pockets, a shelf in the screen equipped console, an ice chest under the helm seat, a forward seat on the raised cast deck and it’s all topped with a very good ride as well.

This in an entry-level rig!

GLASS CRAFT Fibreglass centre console craft are equally well represented. Haines Hunter have opened the innings and scored very well at the bottom end of the size scale with their diminutive 4.0 Prowler; this tidy little centre console craft punches well above it’s weight in many respects, as there’s a decent amount of Vee in the hull while plenty of beam and considerable freeboard make this small centre console suited to a vast array of fishing situations.

On the home front fibreglass manufacturers turning out centre consoles are quite wide spread. Up north a couple of very renowned companies are based at Cairns: Hooker – their 6.7 Pro Fisherman is a favourite – and Cyclone have a very strong following.

I recall reviewing the latter company’s 680 CC a few years ago and reckoned it was one cyclone I’d sure love to have in my backyard!

Moving south there’s specialist centre console maker Gale Force at Hervey Bay, while continuing down the seaboard we see the likes of Bonito, Evolution, Haines Signature, Jackaroo, Pioneer, Seacraft, Evolution Truline and Tournament in a line up, which is by no means complete. As there are quite a few models within virtually every fibreglass manufacturer’s catalogues, features that were once confined to high-end, bigger glass rigs will now surprise potential buyers of middleof-the-range glass craft.

DON’T OVERLOOK THE RIGHT SIZED IMPORTS With our Aussie dollar riding reasonably high, easily towed imports must come into the equation as

fishability and easy style of centre console rigs. Anglers love them, divers love them and family groups also have a lot of boating and fishing fun with their CCs. In the

The Kaptan 610CC combines plenty of fishing room with a very high standard of ride. well. I’ve touched on the magnificent Pursuit 310, so let’s look at Grady White, which is a popular US manufacturer enjoying an enviable reputation for quality workmanship and very well turned-out fishing boats. A rig that has proven very popular with offshore anglers in my backyard, the Gold Coast, is their 180CC – a well appointed 5.44m rig with enough features, sea keeping ability and positive handling traits to give it a definite offshore attitude.

IS A CENTRE CONSOLE FOR YOU? There’s little argument about the sheer practicality,

last decade a lot of advances have been made in making them more practical for storage of valuable rods and other tackle bits and pieces.

A lot of these craft now come with elevated front cast decks to make the most of the available work room and under those decks there’s usually handy dry storage area. Storage shelves within the console are always put to good use and so far as seating is concerned the selection of a padded ice box seat for skipper and mate – offered by quite a few manufacturers – certainly makes sense.

Self-draining decks seem to be prominently featured as

well and are a certain draw card. Fishing’s fun but when it’s over it’s so good to be able to hose the rig out at home and put it away.

As mentioned, manufacturers go to great trouble to only set up their best performing hulls as CCs; nobody wants to spend time in a wet or badly riding boat, so a lot of careful thought usually goes into the design and layout of any centre console rig. In truth I have not driven a centre console rig that disappointed me with ride or handling.

IS THERE A DOWNSIDE? In common with other trailer boats there are downsides to a centre

The lads are obviously having some fun around the Jumpinpin Bar in their Bonito centre console rig. console’s use and ultimate capability. Truth be told the centre console will always be an open boat, which means that the weather forecast and sea conditions are going to play a huge part in a decision to launch, as well as the

area to be fished. With the elements dominating a day on the water in any boat there’s no way a centre console rig can be exempt from hard times away from home.

In big sea conditions or rain it’s very hard to beat the

The Grady White CC comes with excellent offshore capability and is the right size for easy towing.

bulwark of a big fat cuddy cab extending back from the bow for shelter and comfort, which is why so many dedicated offshore anglers stick with their cabin craft.

That said, there are a lot of anglers in our midst who don’t wish to commit to these sorts of rigs for their fishing and are more than content to pick their day and the area they intend to fish and enjoy the huge advantages that a centre console rig offers, especially if there is a windscreen to sneak in behind when things are gnarly.

On a personal note I have owned four centre consoles (from 4.5-5.5m) over the last decade and a half and have caught everything from marlin to whiting in the salt water with bass and barra in the fresh. Versatile is how I’d describe the centre console.

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Bulls Bay 1700 with Mercury CT 90hp 4-stroke

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SPECIFICATIONS Hull Length ....... 5.20m Beam................. 2.24m Hull Weight (dry) 590kg Max hp ...................115 Min hp ....................115 Number of People.... 4 Fuel Capacity ......110L and retrieved by one person.

These are all key features of a boat this size, but the most important components of a fishing boat of this style are fishing space and storage.

Let’s break down the key features of the Bulls Bay 1700.

STORAGE AND FISHABILITY Storage and fishability go hand in hand. Insufficient storage means your fishing 94

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expectation was that it might labour getting underway. It was a pleasant surprise that this was far from the case.

In the video for this test I called it a ‘pocket rocket,’ and it was. The Bulls Bay was very smooth out of the water (5.4 second hole shot) and with minimal trimming of the motor it got up to a very respectable 57km/h.

We lucked out with some amazing weather during the testing days, so there was no wave action to deal with; we just had to enjoy the 1700 gliding over glassy conditions.

It was extremely quiet and very easy to manoeuver. The key was getting the trim right – once you had that down, it was simply a matter of enjoying the ride.

You have to love the soft ride that fibreglass boats offer.

I know that when I wasn’t driving, I took advantage of the seat in front of the console to take in the surroundings.

MERCURY CT 90HP 4-STROKE Part of Mercury’s 2.1L range of four stroke motors, the Command Thrust 90hp 4-stroke was the surprise for me. The Command Trust gearbox gives it the ability to push a larger diameter prop, which assists getting a boat on the plane and keeping it there at lower speeds. This then contributes to better performance and fuel savings.

Andrew from Melbourne Marine was happy with the

numbers for the Mercury during testing, but felt that he could still tinker with the prop to improve them even further.

The surprise was how well balanced this motor was with the 1700. It had power to burn and I can only imagine what a 115hp motor would be like. As much as I wonder about that, it certainly wasn’t necessary.

ELECTRONICS AND OPTIONS A boat like the Bulls Bay lends itself to having an electric motor on the front of it and the test boat had a 55lb MotorGuide electric on the bow. This gives you the versatility to sneak around in the timber or to quietly fish the shallows and is a must-have as

far as this author is concerned.

This proved to be true over the couple of days we spent on the water.

The medium to large centre console provides a large enough area to place any electronics you may want, as well as your gauges and switches. The Garmin set up on the test boat was one of the new release Striker 7 Plus Series units. This is a great easy to use option with great features like Garmin’s CHIRP ClearVu and SideVu. Like all of their fit-outs, Melbourne Marine Centre had put a lot of thought into the electronics for their boats.

FINAL THOUGHTS I left this boat test thinking, if I wanted to step up to a fibreglass boat from what I have, this is the type of boat I would like to get. It had all the benefits a smallish tinny has to offer, but with the quiet, soft ride that fibreglass provides and the performance of the Mercury engine. The handling was also impressive.

There is plenty of general storage as well as a couple of

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Bulls Bay isn’t a boat brand that many people will have heard of, unless you know your US boat manufacturers well. They are produced by Carolina Composites, who also make Pioneer Boats.

They are an entry-level fibreglass hull, but as we know, US entry-level boats offer plenty of options and a degree of sophistication, which is certainly the case with the Bulls Bay 1700.

Melbourne Marine Centre is the Victorian dealer for them and we hit one of the Gippsland Lakes to put it through its paces.

The 1700 is the smallest of the range of Bulls Bay boats available and is a centre console configuration.

Targeted towards the fishing market, this is a boat that is small enough to be towed behind the family sedan, would fit into most garages and can easily be launched

PERFORMANCE RPM Speed (km/h) Economy (L/H) Idle (690).................... 4.1 ..........................1.2 1000 ........................... 6.0 ..........................2.1 2000..........................10.5 ..........................5.6 3000.......................... 17.0 ........................ 10.6 4000......................... 38.7 ........................ 14.8 5000......................... 51.5 ........................ 27.6 WOT (5600) ............... 57.0 ........................31.8 Hole Shot ..................................5.38 seconds

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pjung@fishingmonthly.com.au

areas are cluttered by gear.

Poorly designed fishing space limits the fishing opportunities for the angler.

Being a centre console the Bulls Bay 1700 is designed to offer a 360°C fishing experience. Large decks at the front and rear are ideal to cast lures from and there is plenty of space around the console to comfortably pass either side of it. You also have the bonus of higher gunnels in this area to lock into if you are fighting a bigger fish. For a smaller boat it definitely has a big boat feel.

In a nutshell the 1700 has great fishability.

There is significant storage throughout the 1700. There are large areas below the front deck and the skipper’s seat as well as under the seat in front of the console. There is plenty of room for your fishing gear, safety gear and much more, so keeping fishing areas clear of clutter isn’t an issue. Like many boats of this size rod storage is minimal, so if you have multiple rods on board, take a little care with where you put them.

LAUNCH AND RETRIEVE The test boat was on a Mackay single axle multi roller trailer and this was well suited to the 1700 hull.

Weighing in at around 1200kg fully loaded, it can be towed by your average 6-cylinder vehicle and the multi-roller system allows you to drive the boat on and off the trailer. If you aren’t comfortable doing that, it’s a very simply process to launch and retrieve it with two people or one person if necessary.

RIDE AND PERFORMANCE The Bulls Bay 1700 has a maximum horsepower rating of 115hp and a minimum of 75hp. The boat we tested had a 90hp Mercury 4-stroke on it and I must admit my

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livewells for those interested in releasing fish or who are tournament orientated. My only concern would be rod storage. However with a bit of thought I am sure there is a simple solution to this.

My final observations are for the fishability. It’s very stable at rest, providing a solid platform to cast lures from. You could easily fish three up and the addition of the MotorGuide electric motor only adds to your ability to do this type of fishing. It would be a great boat to do this from in any estuary, small waterway or lake system and the ability to launch and retrieve it with one person ensures it would spend plenty of time on the water.

As tested the Bulls Bay 1700 was priced around $47,000, which in my mind is great value for money. To find out more about the Bulls Bay and the other boats in the range you can contact Melbourne Marine Centre on (03) 9703 2003 or go to their website www. melbournemarine.com.au.

Main: Conditions during the boat test were almost too good – with the Bulls Bay in full flight the author was taking in the scenery from the seat in front of the console.

Above: The Bulls Bay was quick out of the hole. It handled very well and was a pleasure to drive.

Stability at rest and stealth are two key features you look for when purchasing a boat to cast lures from. The 1700 is very stable at rest and the MotorGuide provides the ability to quietly poke around and fish all those nooks and crannies.

The Mercury CT 90hp 4-stroke engine is not the maximum horsepower motor for the Bulls Bay. You wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have known this with how well it performed during the test.

The Mackay multi roller trailer made launching and retrieving the 1700 easy. You could drive on, drive off or easily get on and off the water by yourself if needed.

The console of the 1700 has ample room for all of your electronics and switches and has a large seat behind it so the skipper and passenger are comfortable.

The area around the console was spacious.

There is plenty of room to allow you to fish around the entire boat.

The Bulls Bay 1700 has a 15° deadrise, which ensures great stability at rest and excellent handling underway.

Additional seating on the front of the console ensures all passengers ride in comfort. It also has extra storage in it.

The rear cast deck and seat has two livewells and extra storage under them.

Left: The front cast deck is large enough for two anglers to fish from and has a large storage space under it.

Right: The author believes that any boat of this nature should have an electric motor on it. The MotorGuide 55lb thrust electric motor on the test boat added an extra dimension to the areas you are able to fish.

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Whittley CW1950 with Yamaha 115 4-stroke - SC

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hit 60km/h at 5900rpm.

Naturally, economy suffers and WOT will yield 1.5km/L. Overall, the CW range is a great compromise between price, quality, comfort and fishability. Can you get better value for money on the market for $60,000? We dare you to try.

For more information, visit your local Whittley dealer or www. whittleymarinegroup.com. au. Also, make sure you like the Whittley page on Facebook for updates on the latest models.

Main: The Whittley CW1950, paired with Yamaha’s 115hp 4-stroke is designed to sell for under $60,000, positioning it right in the market for boaties who want to upgrade to some luxury from a tinnie.

Above: Whittley makes boats in the spectrum from luxury through to fishing boats. The CW 1950 sits at the fishing end and does the job well.

Indeed, Alan seems perpetually excited about all of the boats in the Whittley range and as a company head that’s not scared of getting out and selling rigs, he realises the price points that tick boxes with boating families.

“This rig is put together to sit under the $60,000 mark, and that’s a level which seems to keep a family happy that wants to move up into

SPECIFICATIONS Overall.Length......................................... 6.17m Length.on.trailer ........................................7.1m Height.on.trailer ......................................2.45m Width.on.trailer .......................................2.22m Beam..........................................................2.2m Deadrise.at.transom....................................19° Fuel ............................................................ 115L Tow.weight ............................................ 1500kg Rec.hp ......................................................... 115 Max.hp ..................................................... 150hp 96

DE FOR EX

I’d never been to Queenscliff before and by all reports it was going to be like a washing machine, So when we met Alan Whittley on the docks at the marina, we were surprised that the entrance of Port Phillip Bay looked like a mirror. Even after putting up the front to check out the surroundings, they were impeccable in every way – in short, a crappy day for boat testing.

Sure, we can take a pile of awesome looking images, but we don’t really get to test the chops of the hull when things get nasty.

That’s not to say that this Whittley hull is untested. It’s derived from the old Mako hull from John Savage, which has subsequently been increased in beam and has a pair of air-filled pods in the position where you’ll usually find bolted on duckboards.

“That’s an important way that we can make the boat more stable but still able to go out and fish offshore for tuna,” said Whittley cheek, Alan Whittley.

CO

s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

R

Steve Morgan

Q

RA

CON

AN THE

one for your pinkies and one for your lunch. Either way, the cockpit flows forward into the open cabin, which is ample to get the family out of the sun, wind and rain.

Hammers down on the Yamaha and the rig was surprisingly quick onto the plane, which was surprising because the CW1950 is rated to 150hp. The best economy from the boat came at 4500rpm, where at 43km/h the Yamaha delivered 2.2km/L of petrol burned. Need to get back to the ramp in a hurry? Drop the hammers and you’ll

FMG

PERFORMANCE Rpm...... speed.(km/h).. economy.(km/L) Idle ....................... 4.6 ....................... 4.2 1000 ...................... 5.4 ....................... 6.6 2000.................... 10.0 ....................... 2.2 3000....................... 14 ....................... 1.5 4000....................... 34 ....................... 2.1 4500 ....................... 43 ....................... 2.2 5000....................... 50 ....................... 1.8 5900 ....................... 60 ....................... 1.5 a bigger, more comfortable fibreglass boat from a tinnie,” Alan continued.

The fact that the boat/ motor/trailer rig weighs in at only 1500kg is another bonus. It means that many family cars will be able to tow it without having to upgrade a tow vehicle.

Stepping onto the boat through the transom door, you immediately notice that the customer decking

on the floors look fantastic.

This synthetic, fibreglass floor covering is becoming incredibly popular in modern boats and Whittley’s treatment of the material looks the goods.

The cockpit is clean and the gunwales padded.

Both driver and passenger helm seats are comfortable and set up with a system to cover a splitlidded cooler box – maybe

The 115hp supplied on the test boat is 35hp less than the maximum, however the boat ran with good economy (2.2km/L) and hit 60km/h at 5900rpm.

Top: The front cabin is open to the cockpit and the bunks are long enough to stretch out and get some rest between bites.

Above: Moulded in footrests allow the driver and the passenger to support their weight when the conditions get rough.

We didn’t need them on the test day!

The cockpit is lined with custom-sized and designed SeaDek. It looks great and is easy to wash down. Of course, it’s non-slip.

There’s room on the dash to flush mount large electronics. The test craft was set up with no frills, just a simple combo unit and the Yamaha gauges.

The whole aft of the cockpit is useful fishing space and the transom door design is unobtrusive.

Quality seats and clever cooler mounts underneath maximise the use of space.

Top: The CW 1950 boasts the near-standard rocket launchers to get the rods up and out of the way.

Left: Side pockets get some of the essential fishing gear out of the way and padded gunwales make it comfortable to hang a line over the side in deeper water.

Right: Instead of bolt-on duckboards, there are pods, which are an extension of the hull. These offer extra buoyancy.

Top Left: Keep your live baits in here – the tank is on the port side and the transom door on the starboard.

Top Right: You’d be amazed how many boats lack a decent grab rail for the passenger. The Whittley has a great one.

Left: The rear pods are designed to add stability to the 1950 hull.

Right: Easy to drive and quick onto the plane, the Whittley CW 1950 is a sweet way to move up and into the Whittley family.

MARCH 2018

97

Victorian Tide Times

2018 2018 Local Time

POINT LONSDALE – VICTORIA POINT – 144° VICTORIA LAT LONSDALE 38° 18’ LONG 37’

JANUARY Time Time JANUARY m

Time m 0033 0.81 0033 0.81 0545 1.32 0545 1.32 TU 1152 0.26 1152 0.26 TU1813 1813 1.51 0123 1.51 0123 0.79 0649 0.79 WE 1246 0649 1.35 1.35 WE1904 1246 0.20 0.20 1904 1.61 0206 1.61 0206 0.73 0742 0.73 TH 1336 0742 1.40 1.40 1336 TH1949 0.14 0.14 1949 1.69 0244 1.69 0244 0.64 0825 0.64 FR 1422 0825 1.46 1.46 1422 FR2030 0.10 0.10 2030 1.74 0318 1.74 0318 0.55 0905 0.55 0905 1.50 1505 SA 1.50 1505 SA2107 0.11 0.11 2107 1.75 0352 1.75 0352 0.47 0942 0.47 0942 1.52 1545 SU 1.52 SU 1545 0.15 2141 0.15 2141

18’ of High LONG 144° TimesLAT and38° Heights and Low37’ Waters Times and Heights of High and Low Waters MARCH FEBRUARY m Time Time m Time MARCH m TimeFEBRUARY m

m 1.38 1.38 0.83 0.83 1.22 1.22 0.38 0.38 1.43 1.43 0.79 0.79 1.24 1.24 0.34 0.34 1.48 1.48 0.72 0.72 1.27 1.27 0.31 0.31 1.53 1.53 0.66 0.66 1.31 1.31 0.30 0.30 1.57 1.57 0.59 0.59 1.35 1.35 0.30 0.30 1.59 1.59 0.54 0.54 1.38 1.38 0.31 0.31

Time 0131 0131 0715 0715 FR 1311 1311 FR 1927 1927 0213 0213 0802 0802 SA 1402 1402 SA 2011 2011 0250 0250 0843 0843 SU 1448 1448 SU 2048 2048 0326 0326 0919 0919 MO 1531 1531 MO 2124 2124 0400 0400 0954 0954 TU 1613 1613 TU 2159 2159 0434 0434 1028 1028 1653 WE 1653 WE 2236 2236

m 1.38 1.38 0.73 0.73 1.23 1.23 0.39 0.39 1.44 1.44 0.65 0.65 1.30 1.30 0.37 0.37 1.50 1.50 0.56 0.56 1.37 1.37 0.36 0.36 1.54 1.54 0.48 0.48 1.43 1.43 0.36 0.36 1.57 1.57 0.41 0.41 1.47 1.47 0.37 0.37 1.57 1.57 0.34 0.34 1.50 1.50 0.40 0.40

0447 1.73 1.73 22 0426 0426 1.60 1.60 0508 0545 1.61 1.61 22 0508 770447 77 0545 1026 1142 1026 0.40 0.40 221017 1017 0.49 0.49 1102 1142 0.25 0.25 22 1102 1734 1646 1.51 1626 1.40 1820 1.49 TH SU MO WE

1.56 1.56 0.29 0.29 1.51 1.51 0.45 0.45 1.53 1.53 0.26 0.26 1.50 1.50 0.50 0.50

Time 0416 0416 1046 1046 MO 1645 MO 1645

11

220022 0022 0534 0534 TU 1157

1157 TU1757 1757 0124 0124 0645 0645 WE 1304 1304 WE1902 1902 0220 0220 0746 0746 TH 1405 1405 TH2001 2001 0313 0313 0842 0842 FR 1500 1500 FR2056 2056 0401 0401 0934 0934 1554 SA 1554 SA2147 2147

33 44

55 66

16 16

17 17

18 18 19 19

20 20 21 21

Time 0102 0102 0621 0621 TH 1246 1246 TH 1849 1849 0201 0201 0730 0730 FR 1352 1352 FR 1952 1952 0255 0255 0830 0830 SA 1451 1451 SA 2046 2046 0343 0343 0923 0923 SU 1546 1546 SU 2137 2137 0427 0427 1013 1013 MO 1639 1639 MO 2223 2223 0508 0508 1059 1059 1730 TU 1730 TU 2305 2305

11

22

33 44

55 66

m 1.52 1.52 0.72 0.72 1.37 1.37 0.20 0.20 1.59 1.59 0.62 0.62 1.44 1.44 0.18 0.18 1.65 1.65 0.50 0.50 1.50 1.50 0.18 0.18 1.69 1.69 0.40 0.40 1.54 1.54 0.21 0.21 1.69 1.69 0.32 0.32 1.55 1.55 0.27 0.27 1.66 1.66 0.27 0.27 1.53 1.53 0.34 0.34

16 16 17 17 18 18 19 19

20 20 21 21

Time 0440 0440 1118 1718 TH 1118 TH 1718

m 0.75 0.75 1.30 1.30 0.34 0.34

0038 2 0038 0604 2 0604 1237 FR

1.44 1.44 0.67 0.67 1.36 1.36 0.33 0.33 1.51 1.51 0.55 0.55 1.45 1.45 0.31 0.31 1.57 1.57 0.43 0.43 1.53 1.53 0.30 0.30 1.61 1.61 0.33 0.33 1.59 1.59 0.32 0.32 1.62 1.62 0.26 0.26 1.61 1.61 0.36 0.36

11

FR 1237 1838 1838 0138 0138 0715 1345 SA 0715 SA 1345 1942 1942 0230 0230 0815 1445 SU 0815 SU 1445 2036 2036 0317 0317 0906 0906 1538 MO 1538 MO 2123 2123 0400 0400 0952 0952 1628 TU 1628 TU 2206 2206

33

44 55 66

Time 0521 0521 1139 1750 FR 1139 FR 1750

16 16

m m 0.80 0.80 1.18 1.18 0.55 0.55

Time Time 0109 0109 0559 1238 SU0559 1828 SU 1238 1828 0101 0101 0654 1335 MO0654 MO 1335 1919 1919 0146 0146 0740 1426 TU0740 TU 1426 2004 2004 0227 0227 0822 1511 WE0822 WE 1511 2045 2045 0303 0303 0901 0901 1550 TH1550 TH 2121 2121 0337 0337 0939 0939 1627 FR 1627 FR 2157 2157

11

0045 1.32 17 0045 0638 1.32 0.72 22 17 1246 0.72 1.24 SA 0638 SA 1246 1857 1857 0132 0132 0730 1343 SU 0730 SU 1343 1945 1945 0215 0215 0810 1431 MO 0810 MO 1431 2025 2025 0253 0253 0846 0846 1516 TU 1516 TU 2103 2103 0330 0330 0922 0922 1559 WE 1559 WE 2141 2141

18 18

19 19 20 20

21 21

1.24 0.53 0.53 1.39 1.39 0.62 0.62 1.34 1.34 0.50 0.50 1.45 1.45 0.52 0.52 1.44 1.44 0.47 0.47 1.50 1.50 0.42 0.42 1.53 1.53 0.46 0.46 1.54 1.54 0.33 0.33 1.59 1.59 0.46 0.46

33

44 55

66

Local Time APRIL APRIL Time m

m 1.47 1.47 0.49 0.49 1.50 1.50 0.49 0.49 1.52 1.52 0.39 0.39 1.59 1.59 0.48 0.48 1.55 1.55 0.31 0.31 1.66 1.66 0.48 0.48 1.56 1.56 0.26 0.26 1.68 1.68 0.49 0.49 1.55 1.55 0.25 0.25 1.67 1.67 0.52 0.52 1.52 1.52 0.26 0.26 1.64 1.64 0.55 0.55

m Time m 0540 0.59 0540 1219 0.59 1.42 1807 1.42 0.66 MO1219 MO 1807 0.66

16 16

0030 1.43 17 0030 0624 1.43 0.47 17TU0624 1311 0.47 1.54

TU 1311 1854 1.54 0.63 1854 0.63 0115 1.48 0115 0705 1.48 0.37 1358 0.37 1.65 WE0705 WE 1358 1937 1.65 0.60 1937 0.60 0157 1.52 0157 0746 1.52 0.29 1443 0.29 1.72 TH0746 TH 1443 2019 1.72 0.58 2019 0.58 0238 1.54 0238 0829 1.54 0.23 0829 1526 0.23 1.75 FR1526 1.75 FR 2100 0.58 2100 0.58 0317 1.54 0317 1.54 0912 0.21 0912 0.21 1609 1.74 SA 1609 SA 2143 1.74 0.58 2143 0.58

18 18

19 19

20 20 21 21

0437 7 0437 1033 7 1033 WE 1714

0411 1.48 1.48 0359 1.53 1.53 0407 1.55 1.55 70411 220359 22 0407 1015 0.29 0.29 22 0956 0.22 0.22 0959 0.27 0.27 7 22 1015 0959 0956 SA 1701 1.59 SU 1653 1.70 TH 1640 1.63

0513 8 0513 1113 1113 TH 1756

1.56 1.56 0.22 0.22 1.56 1756 1.56 TH 2322 0.47 0.47 2322

0443 1.54 1.54 0445 1.44 1.44 0441 1.50 1.50 23 0443 80445 230441 1037 0.22 0.22 1049 0.33 0.33 23 1040 0.26 0.26 8 1037 1049 1040 FR 1721 1.63 SU 1736 1.53 MO 1739 1.63

0546 9 0546 1149 1149 FR 1837

0519 1.52 1.52 0521 1.38 1.38 0528 1.45 1.45 24 0519 90521 240528 1116 0.21 0.21 1124 0.38 0.38 24 1126 0.33 0.33 9 1116 1124 1126 SA 1804 1.60 MO 1814 1.46 TU 1830 1.56

0104 0036 0606 0104 0.60 0.60 0036 0006 0.41 0.41 0606 1.53 1.53 10 0735 0655 1159 100006 25 10 0735 1.39 1.39 25 0658 0658 0655 1.56 1.56 25 1159 0.36 0.36 10 1340 0.34 1257 1248 0.33 1831 1.39

0620 10 0620 1225 1225 1917

0600 1.32 1.32 0623 1.40 1.40 0558 1.49 1.49 100600 250623 25 0558 1200 0.45 0.45 25 1215 0.42 0.42 1157 0.22 0.22 10 1200 1215 1157 1857 1.40 1930 1.49 1851 1.55

0121 0050 0.52 0.52 0147 0.68 0.68 0121 0005 0.50 0.50 11 110050 260005 11 0147 0816 0737 0642 0737 1.48 1.48 26 0816 1.31 1.31 26 0744 0744 0642 1.49 1.49 11 1423 0.38 1344 1333 0.35 1236 0.32

0036 11 0036 0656 0656

0026 0.73 0.73 0051 0.67 0.67 0022 0.59 0.59 110026 260051 26 0022 0645 1.26 1.26 26 0732 1.35 1.35 0640 1.44 1.44 11 0645 0732 0640

0134 0.62 0.62 0049 0.58 0.58 0237 0.76 0.76 0213 0213 12 0237 120134 270049 12 0820 1.39 1.39 27 0722 1.44 1.44 12 0904 1.24 1.24 27 0841 0841 0820 0904 0722 1420 0.37 1317 0.30 1515 0.43 1441

0115 12 0115 0734 0734

0112 0.77 0.77 0200 0.67 0.67 0107 0.65 0.65 27 0107 120112 270200 0730 0741 0857 0741 1.22 1.22 27 0857 1.34 1.34 0730 1.39 1.39 12

0224 0.72 0.72 0337 0.82 0.82 0318 0138 0.66 0.66 0318 13 0337 130224 280138 13 0907 1.32 1.32 28 1001 1.19 1.19 28 0953 0953 0809 1.39 1.39 13 1001 0907 0809 1513 0.40 1618 0.45 1553 1406 0.28

0159 13 0159 0819 0819 1422

0208 0319 0208 0.79 0.79 0319 0.63 0.63 0159 0.70 0.70 28 0159 13 28 0849 1015 0830 0849 1.19 1.19 28 1015 1.38 1.38 0830 1.33 1.33 13 1423 0.65 1543 0.67 1423 0.39

0452 0.84 0.84 0322 0.80 0.80 0234 0.74 0.74 14 0452 140322 290234 1107 1.17 1.17 0959 1.26 1.26 29 0904 1.34 1.34 14 14 0959 1107 0904 WE 1730 0.45 SU 1611 0.41 MO 1504 0.27

WE 1730 0.45

0250 14 0250 0915 0915 WE 1516

0319 0433 0319 0.77 0.77 0433 0.55 0.55 0304 0.72 0.72 29 0304 1007 1125 0950 14 29 1007 1.22 1.22 29 1125 1.46 1.46 0950 1.30 1.30 14 SA 1537 0.69 SU 1701 0.69 TH 1536 0.46

0042 1.32 1.32 0432 0.84 0.84 0343 0.80 0.80 15 0042 150432 300343 0611 0.81 0.81 1055 1.22 1.22 30 1012 1.31 1.31 15 15 0611 1055 1012 TH 1212 1.19 MO 1714 0.41 TU 1615 0.27

0357 15 0357 1025 1025 1627 TH

0440 0535 0440 0.69 0.69 0428 0.69 0.69 0535 0.46 0.46 30 0428 1116 1118 1228 15 30 1118 1.30 1.30 30 1116 1.32 1.32 15 1228 1.56 1.56 1703 0.50 1702 0.69 1806 0.68 FR SU MO

1646 1.51 SU2236 2236 0.22 0.22

1626 1.40 MO2214 2214 0.34 0.34

1820 1.49 WE 2345 2345 0.42 0.42

1734 TH 2314 2314

0459 0542 0531 1.69 1.69 0459 1.59 1.59 0622 1.54 1.54 0542 880531 88 0622 1115 1051 1222 23 1115 0.35 0.35 23 1051 0.44 0.44 1222 0.26 0.26 23 1138 1138 MO 1740 1.48 TU 1705 1.40 TH 1911 1.43 FR 1817 MO 1740 1.48 2322 2322 0.31 0.31

TU 1705 1.40 2247 2247 0.38 0.38

TH 1911 1.43

FR 1817 2354 2354

0532 0618 0532 1.57 1.57 0025 0.51 0.51 0618 0614 1.63 1.63 99 0025 990614 1124 1202 0659 24 1124 0.40 0.40 0659 1.47 1.47 24 1216 1216 1202 0.33 0.33 24 TU 1837 1.43 WE 1746 1.40 FR 1300 0.29 SA 1905 TU 1837 1.43

WE 1746 1.40 2325 2325 0.43 0.43

WE WE 1248 0.33 TH TH 1831 1.39 1938 1938 1.38 1.38

TH TH 1333 0.35 FR FR 1236 0.32 2039 1923 2039 1.34 1.34 1923 1.38 1.38

FR1420 0.37 SA1317 0.30 FR SA 2138 1.32 1.32 2022 1.37 1.37 2138 2022

SA1513 0.40 SU SU1406 0.28 SA 2237 1.31 1.31 2130 1.37 1.37 2237 2130

SU 1611 0.41 MO 1504 0.27 2336 1.34 1.34 2244 1.39 1.39 2336 2244

MO 1714 0.41

TU 1615 2357 2357 0502 0502 1130 1130 1735 WE 1735 WE

31 31

0.27 1.44 1.44 0.79 0.79 1.32 1.32 0.24 0.24

FR 1300 0.29 2000 2000 1.38 1.38

SA SA 1340 0.34 2052 2052 1.32 1.32

SU SU 1423 0.38 2146 2146 1.29 1.29

MO 1515 0.43 MO 2245 1.27 1.27 2245

TU 1618 0.45 TU 2345 1.28 1.28 2345

TH 1212 1.19 1834 0.43 0.43 1834

1.49 1.49 0.24 0.24 1.47 SA 1905 1.47

0.57 1.44 SU SU 1257 0.24 2000 2000 1.43

0.65 1.39 MO MO 1344 0.26 2104 2104 1.39 0.72 1.33 TU 1441 0.29 TU 2217 1.37 2217

0.76 1.30 WE 1553 0.33 WE 2331 1.39 2331

1.60 1.60 0.23 0.23 1.60 1714 1.60 WE 2245 0.41 2245 0.41

1.51 1.51 0.25 0.25 1.50 1837 1.50 FR 2359 0.53 0.53 2359 1.45 1.45 0.29 0.29 1.44 SA 1917 1.44

0.59 0.59 1.38 1.38 1300 0.34 0.34 SU 1300 2000 1.37 1.37 2000

0.66 0.66 1.31 1.31 1339 0.40 0.40 MO 1339 2048 2048 1.32 1.32 0.73 0.73 1.24 1.24 0.46 TU 1422 0.46 2144 2144 1.27 1.27

0.79 0.79 1.19 1.19 0.51 WE 1516 0.51 2245 2245 1.26 1.26 0.82 0.82 1.16 1.16 0.55 TH 1627 0.55 2348 2348 1.28 1.28

1.63 TH 1640 2220 0.47 0.47 2220

FR 1721 1.63 2300 0.50 0.50 2300

SA 1804 1.60 2341 0.54 0.54 2341

SU 1851 1.55 SU

1240 0.25 0.25 MO 1240 MO 1943 1.49 1.49 1943

1327 0.31 0.31 TU TU 1327 2045 2045 1.43 1.43

WE WE 1423 0.39 2155 2155 1.39 1.39

TH 1536 0.46 2305 2305 1.38 1.38

FR 1703 0.50

1.59 SU 1653 1.70 SA 1701 2232 0.58 0.58 2226 0.60 0.60 2226 2232

SU 1736 1.53 MO 1739 1.63 2309 0.63 0.63 2310 0.62 0.62 2309 2310

MO 1814 1.46 2346 0.68 0.68 2346

TU1857 1.40 TU

1238 0.51 0.51 WE1238 WE 1947 1.34 1.34 1947

1325 0.59 0.59 TH TH1325 2045 2045 1.31 1.31

FR FR 1423 0.65 2148 2148 1.30 1.30

SA 1537 0.69 2248 2248 1.33 1.33

SU 1702 0.69 2343 2343 1.37 1.37

TU 1830 1.56 2358 0.65 0.65 2358

WE1930 1.49 WE

1312 0.52 0.52 TH1312 TH 2033 1.44 1.44 2033

1421 0.61 0.61 FR FR1421 2137 2137 1.42 1.42

SA SA 1543 0.67 2239 2239 1.43 1.43

SU 1701 0.69 2335 2335 1.45 1.45

MO 1806 0.68

0011 1.42 1.42 31 0011 0551 0551 0.61 0.61 1231 1.40 SA 1231 1.40 SA 1823 1823 0.50 0.50

CopyrightCommonwealth Commonwealth of of Australia Australia 2016, 2016, Bureau Bureau of of Meteorology Meteorology Copyright Datum of Predictions is Lowest Astronomical Tide Datum of Predictions is Lowest Astronomical Tide Timesare areininlocal localstandard standardtime time (UTC (UTC +10:00) +10:00) or or daylight daylight savings savings time Times time (UTC (UTC +11:00) +11:00) when whenin ineffect effect New Moon First Quarter Moon Phase Symbols Full Moon New Moon First Quarter Moon Phase Symbols Full Moon

Last LastQuarter Quarter

Tide predictions for Port Phillip Heads have been formatted by the National Tidal Centre, Australian Bureau of Meteorology, Copyright reserved. All material is supplied in good faith and is believed to be correct. It is supplied on the condition that no warranty is given in relation thereto, that no responsibility or liability for errors or omissions is, or will be, accepted and that the recipient will hold MHL and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology Australia free from all such responsibility or liability and from all loss or damage incurred as a consequence of any error or omission. Predictions should not be used for navigational purposes. Use of these tide predictions will be deemed to include acceptance of the above conditions.

98

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